Born in Stratton, VA, in 1927, Ralph Stanley and his older brother Carter formed the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys. In 1946 Ralph and Carter were being broadcast from radio station WCYB in Bristol, VA. The music, which was inspired by their Virginia mountain home, was encouraged by their mother, who taught Ralph the clawhammer style of banjo picking that he and Carter became famous for. They recorded for such companies as the small Rich-R-Tone label and later Columbia, a relationship that lasted from 1949 until 1952. These classic sessions defined the Stanleys' own approach to bluegrass and made them as important as Bill Monroe. After leaving Columbia, the Stanleys were with Mercury, Starday, and King. Leaning toward more gospel at times, Carter and Ralph made a place for themselves in the music industry. In December 1966, Carter Stanley died in a Virginia hospital after a steady decline in health. He was just 41 years old. After much consideration and grief, Ralph carried on without Carter. Already their haunting mountain melodies made them stand apart from other bluegrass bands, but Ralph expanded upon this foundation and took his own "high lonesome" vocals to a new plane. ~ Jana Pendragon, All Music Guide – Amazon.com

Tracklist:
Disc 1
01.How Mountain Girls Can Love;
02.Leather Britches;
03.Sitting On Top Of The World ;
04.Love Me Darling Just Tonight;
05.Clinch Mountain Backstep;
06.Uncle Pen;
07.Memories Of Mother;
08.Little Maggie;
09.Listen To The Mockingbird;
10.Ridin' That Midnight Train;
11.Baby Girl;
12.Sourwood Mountain;
13.I Saw The Light;

Disc 2
01.Orange Blossom Special;
02.Blue Moon of Kentucky;
03.Long Journey Home;
04.Pretty Polly;
05.Daybreak in Tokyo;
06.All the Good Times Are Past and Gone;
07.How Far to Little Rock?;
08.Mountain Dew;
09.Rank Strangers;
10.Walkin' In My Sleep;
11.I'm A Man of Constant Sorrow;
12.I Hear A Choo-Choo Coming;
13.Old Country Church;
14.Hard Times;
15.The White Dove;
16.Olt-Time Pickin'