Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!


Listen To An Audio Clip
(Performed Live on September 13th, 2000)

For more than 50 years Ralph Stanley has travelled throughout the U.S. and abroad singing and playing his distinctive brand of mountain-style country music. Stanley has always respected the mountain culture from which he came and that love has manifested itself in his music.

Ralph and his older brother, Carter, were heavily influenced by the music they heard as children growing up in the hills of southwestern Virginia. At home, they heard their father, Lee, sing traditional ballads including "Little Bessie," "Pretty Polly" and "A Man of Constant Sorrow." Years later, many of those old songs found their way into the Stanley Brothers' lexicon. Mother, Lucy, played banjo in the old drop-thumb or "claw-hammer" style that was popular among mountain musicians. One of her favorite songs to play when she took a break from her chores was "Shout Lula." As a boy, it was the first song Ralph learned to play on the banjo and today he nearly always closes his shows with it.

On the night of January 15th, 2000, Ralph was honored by the Grand Ole Opry by becoming its newest member. The induction was performed by Patty Loveless and Porter Wagoner. During the ceremony, Ralph said "I'll carry the name of the Grand Ole Opry out everywhere that I go. I'll always respect it, and I'll never let it down."

Porter and Patty both appeared on Stanley's award-winning album Clinch Mountain Country. Patty told Ralph that "... Ricky Skaggs wanted so much to be here tonight and I'm sure he's with us in spirit, as is your brother Carter, Mr. Keith Whitley, Curly Ray Cline (longtime fiddler for Stanley who passed away in 1997) and many of the other Clinch Mountain Boys. We're all sharing this evening with you." Patty then joined Ralph to perform a hair-raising version of "Pretty Polly," which she recorded for the Clinch Mountain Country album.

In early 1999, the song spent three months atop Bluegrass Unlimited's National Bluegrass Survey. We're pleased to be able to share with you some photos of the induction, as well as Patty and Ralph's performace of "Pretty Polly".

Pretty Polly
(Traditional)

Oh, Polly, pretty Polly, would you take me unkind
Polly, pretty Polly, would you take me unkind
You to sit beside me, and tell me your mind

Well my mind is to marry and never to part
My mind is to marry and never to part
First time I saw you, you wounded my heart

Well Polly, pretty Polly, come and go along with me
Polly, pretty Polly come go along with me
Before we get married,
Some pleasure we'll see

Well he led her over mountains
And valleys so deep
He led her over mountains
And valleys so deep
Polly mistrusted and then began to weep

Say Willie, little Willie
I'm afraid of your ways
Willie, little Willie
I'm afraid of your ways
The way you've been rambling
And leadin' me astray

Now Polly, pretty Polly
Your guess is about right
Polly, pretty Polly
Your guess is about right
I dug on your grave
The biggest part of last night

Well he led her little farther
And what did she spy
He led her little farther
And what did she spy
New dug grave with a spade lyin' by

Then she knelt down before him
A pleadin' for her life
She knelt down before him
A pleadin' for her life
Let me be a single girl
If I can't be your wife

Now Polly, pretty Polly
That never can be
Polly, pretty Polly
That never can be
Your past reputation's
Been troublin' to me

Well he opened up her bosom
As white as any snow
He opened up her bosom
As white as any snow
He stabbed through the heart
And the blood did overflow

Then he went down to the jailhouse
And what did he say
He went to the jailhouse
And what did he say
Killed pretty Polly
And tryin' to get away.

We've loaded a full length audio clip for this feature that, depending on your connection speed, will take a minute or two to load. Please be patient :-) We've loaded it in it's entirety so you have the full enjoyment of this rare audio segment and we ask that you consider it for personal use only.

Like To Talk About This Feature?

Click To Join Our Discussion Boards!