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Ralph Stanley IIListen to My Hammer Ring
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Clinch Mountain Express Newsletter ReviewJeffery Fox, EditorRalph Stanley II's new album will be released to stores on 9 February 1999. He should have a few advance copies to sell on the road by the time you read this newsletter. The album was incorrectly titled in the last newsletter--the correct title of the album will be "Listen to My Hammer Ring". It will be Ralph II's first release on Rebel Records. Watch for a feature article on him in Bluegrass Unlimited in early '99. Besides the title song, the recording include several other of Ralph II's most-requested songs: "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", "Katie Daley" and of course Carter Stanley's last song "Mary, Merry Christmas". Ralph II has a special love for this great song. His Uncle, Carter Stanley, wrote it down shortly before he died in December 1966. The handwritten song was preserved over the years by Norma Fannin, a former Fan Club president and long-time friend of Carter and Ralph. Norma gave the song to Ralph II in February 1997. He first performed it on stage at the Round Eyes Bluegrass Festival later that year. The song is now released in a recorded version for the first time ever, as a solo by Ralph II. Ralph II had received a limited pre-release supply of cassettes just in time for an appearance on 11 December 1998, by Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Ralph II told me, "This is the best album I've done in my life so far". Evidently his fans thought so, too. He quickly sold the entire box of recordings he bought. We are fortunate to be the proud owners of the very second copy sold of "Listen to My Hammer Ring" (long-time fans, Arnold and Joyce Huffstutler, purchased copy #1). We listened to this recording all the way home. This album has definitely been worth the long wait. |
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