Lately, it seems every week we are paying our respects to musical icons who have passed, and this week it is Ralph Stanley and Scotty Moore. Stanley, with his distinctive vocals and banjo playing style, was one of the last original bluegrass innovators, although he preferred to call his music old time mountain music, not bluegrass. Stanley died June 23 at the age of 89. He and his brother Carter formed the Stanley Brothers in 1946 and after his brother died in 1966 Ralph carried on, fronting the Clinch Mountain Boys well into his 80s and recording over 70 albums.
Scotty Moore, who died June 28, was a member of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. He was the original guitarist for Elvis Presley and helped establish the rockabilly sound. As a member and leader of The Blue Moon Boys he, along with Bill Black (bass) and D.J. Fontana (drums), set the foundation of rock ‘n roll. Rolling Stone named him #29 of the top 100 most influential guitarists of all time. I’ll play Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train,” a tune that Scotty recorded with Elvis in 1955 that is considered one of the greatest rock ‘n roll recordings of all time. And I’ll play more of Moore’s music the last weekend of July on The Rock-a-Barry Weekend Show. I’ve packed a lot of music into this week’s 2-hour show, along with our calendar of coming concerts and festivals.
