On the heels of their induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Carter and Ralph Stanley—the Stanley Brothers—were celebrated by some of the brightest stars of bluegrass and country music. The show coincided with the upcoming release of a tribute album Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of the Stanley Brothers from Compass Records, featuring many of the evening’s performers.
Jim Lauderdale welcomed the crowd, joining the Traveling McCourys to perform “Riding that Midnight Train.” Ned Luberecki, one of the hosts for the evening, introduced Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys, who carry on the family tradition, playing “Rollin’ on Rubber Wheels.” They were joined by Tim O’Brien for “Mother No Longer Awaits Me at Home.”
Lauderdale, who recorded a couple of albums with Ralph Stanley, credited Ralph II, who started at fifteen playing with his dad, with keeping the music alive in the style in which it was performed, while adding to the music.
The evening featured a house band, but throughout the night, the bands featured were joined by other performers. Dierks Bentley sang “How Mountain Girls Can Love” with the members of Della Mae and Chris Eldridge on guitar. The set list served as a reminder of how many songs that have found their way into the bluegrass canon came by virtue of the Stanley Brothers, including “Going up Home (to Live in Green Pastures),” also performed by Della Mae.
Alison Brown, who runs Compass Records with her husband Garry West, also played banjo through the night with the house band, which also included Justin Moses, Missy Raines, Stuart Duncan, Ned Luberecki, Kimber Ludicker, and Chris (“Critter”) Eldridge. She also performed with the First Ladies of Bluegrass, the first women to win IBMA Awards in their instrument categories: Becky Buller on fiddle, Sierra Hull on mandolin, Molly Tuttle on guitar, Raines on bass, and Brown on banjo.
The First Ladies were joined by Sam Bush, who wore a tee shirt reading, “Bluegrass: It Ain’t Just for Boys Anymore,” getting a nod of approval from Hull. They performed the old-time classic “Little Maggie” and “Angel Band,” encouraging the audience to join them on the last chorus.
West, who served as one of the hosts for the night, described the songs of the Stanley Brothers as the ones “you learn in the parking lot or the campground, and you didn’t even know where it’s from.”
Introducing Jeff Hanna, Jaime Hanna, and Ross Holmes from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lubercki said that whenever he asked people how they got into bluegrass music, one of the most frequent responses is a reference to the classic Will the Circle Be Unbroken album project. They played “White Dove” and “Darling Think of What You’ve Done.”
Fresh from his induction into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, Shawn Camp performed “Long Journey Home” and then was joined by Jamey Johnson for “Rank Stranger.”
The First Ladies of Bluegrass returned to perform the Stanley Brothers song “Bound to Ride,” which they recorded with the late Dolly Parton, released posthumously. The members of the group shared the lead sung by Parton on the recording, with a recording of Dolly calling out the names of the band members as they played.
West attributed the quote to Dolly that “everybody in country music is standing on the shoulders of the Stanley Brothers.” He noted that when the album project was first conceived, they made the first call to Dolly and the second to Willie Nelson, both of whom said yes. He joked that they decided they needed some younger folks and asked Billy Strings; then they needed more bearded fellows and called Jamey Johnson.
Before the grand finale, members of the Stanley family presented Brown and West as Compass Records with a framed, tattered flag that had flown for years over Ralph Stanley’s grave. Then the full cast filled the stage, singing “I’ll Fly Away,” performed on the album by Wilie,” followed by “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” led by Jeff Hanna.
After the long wait for Carter and Ralph Stanley to join that special circle, their career was celebrated in the style they deserved.
(photo credit: Jeff Fasano)
