Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys September 24, 2004

""A national treasure"

Ralph Stanley's voice is not of this century--nor of the last one, for that matter. Its stark urgency is rooted in a time when a short life of trouble was the common lot, when storytelling songs and laments had the grandeur of tragedy. He's the last survivor of the group of musical giants who created bluegrass music, and one of the particular joys of his Folk Festival show last January was how aware he seemed of his own very important place in musical history. Last year's solo album Ralph Stanley saw him plumbing the depths of music that was ancient even when he himself was young. There's probably nowhere else in the country to experience Ralph Stanley up close and personal, so this evening at The Ark may well offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience."