Across the Blue Ridge #28 - String band music, and Charlie Sizemore’s recollections of performing with Ralph Stanley

This week we feature some outstanding string band music from the New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters of southwest Virginia, with powerful singing, fiddling and autoharp playing from Eddie Bond.  Also, some wonderful West Virginia fiddle tunes from the Sky Island String Band, featuring the outstanding Jimmy Triplett on fiddle.  We also continue our remembrance of mountain music great Ralph Stanley, who died recently at age 89.  In this week's segments, we hear 1960 Stanley Brothers radio performances; some hot music from the Clinch Mountain Boys in one of their strongest periods, the early 1970s, when Ricky Skaggs, Roy Lee Centers, Curly Ray Cline, Jack Cooke and Keith Whitley were in the band; and music from the extremely strong 1970s-80s band including Charlie Sizemore, Curly Ray Cline and Junior Blankenship.  Also featured, some poignant and compelling thoughts about Ralph Stanley the musician and the man from Sizemore, drawn from an interview a number of years ago with Across the Blue Ridge host Paul Brown.

Episode 28 Playlist

1. Johnson City Rag – New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters
   Bogtrotter Blues
   Independent Release 2014
    
2. Storms On The Ocean -- New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters
   Bogtrotter Blues
   Independent Release 2014
    
3. Little Lyzie Jane – Sky Island String Band
   Adventures In Old Cranberry
   Bemlar 2016
    
4. The Lost Girl -- Sky Island String Band
   Adventures In Old Cranberry
   Bemlar 2016
    
5. Lonesome For You – Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz
   Draw Closer
   Rounder 2009
    
6. Shake That Thing – Mississippi John Hurt
   Revisited
   Varese Sarabande 2006
    
7. BREAK 1
   Pretty Little Indian – Curly Ray Cline
   Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mtn. Boys 1971-73 Vol. 3
   Rebel 1995
    
8. Theme – Stanley Brothers
   Stanley Brothers on Radio
   County 1995
    
9. Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms – Stanley Brothers
   Stanley Brothers on Radio
   County 1995
    
10. A Few More Seasons – Stanley Brothers
    Stanley Brothers on Radio
    County 1995
     
11. Love Me Darling Just Tonight – Stanley Brothers
    Stanley Brothers on Radio
    County 1995
     
12. Black Mountain Blues – Chubby Anthony
    Stanley Brothers on Radio
    County 1995
     
13. Old Country Church – Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
    Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys 1971-73 Vol. 3
    Rebel 1995
     
14. Give Me The Roses Now – Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
    Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys 1971-73 Vol. 3
    Rebel 1995
     
15. BREAK 2
    Sally Goodin' – Curly Ray Cline
    Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys 1971-73 Vol. 2
    Rebel 1995
     
16. Sharecropper's Son – Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
    Lonesome & Blue
    Rebel 2011
     
17. Charlie Sizemore Interview
    Across the Blue Ridge recording
     
18. Old Richmond Prison – Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
    Lonesome & Blue
    Rebel 2011
     
19. Charlie Sizemore Interview
    Across the Blue Ridge recording
     
20. I'll Take The Blame – Ralph Stanley & Rhonda Vincent
    Clinch Mountain Country Disc 1
    Rebel 1997
     
21. Charlie Sizemore Interview
    Across the Blue Ridge recording
     
22. Room At The Top Of The Stairs – Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
    Lonesome & Blue
    Rebel 2011
     
23. Come On Little Children – Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
    Ralph Stanley 1971-73 Disc 1
    Rebel 1995