The founders of New York City’s popular Bottom Line night club have released on CD a classic recording made by Ralph Stanley there back in 2002.
Ralph Stanley: Live At The Bottom Line features the good Doctor performing many of his all-time hits backed by an all star bluegrass band. Stuart Duncan is on fiddle, Mike Compton on mandolin, James Allen Shelton on guitar, and Dennis Crouch on bass.
The show at The Bottom Line was recorded on June 12, 2002, as part of the Down From The Mountain Tour that ran that summer in support of the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack. Other artists featured on that package show tour included Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Ricky Skaggs, and Del McCoury.
Folks who saw any of those concerts may remember Stanley’s brilliant treatment of these songs on Live At The Bottom Line:
- O Death
- Band Introductions
- Girl from the Greenbriar Shore
- False-Hearted
- Henry Lee
- I’ll Remember You Love, In My Prayers
- Lift Him Up
- Wild Bill Jones
- Hemlocks & Primroses
- Look On and Cry
- Calling You
- Pretty Polly
- Great High Mountain
- Man of Constant Sorrow
- Amazing Grace
With Ralph Stanley gone from this world, perhaps we’ll see more projects like this come to the fore. His music will surely live forever, especially with special nights on stage preserved in this way.
Ralph Stanley: Live At The Bottom Line is available now from popular online download sites. It is distributed to the retail trade through RED.
