Ralph Stanley

American musician
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Also known as: Ralph Edmond Stanley
Quick Facts
In full:
Ralph Edmond Stanley
Born:
February 25, 1927, Stratton, Virginia, U.S.
Died:
June 23, 2016, Sandy Ridge, Virginia (aged 89)

Ralph Stanley (born February 25, 1927, Stratton, Virginia, U.S.—died June 23, 2016, Sandy Ridge, Virginia) was an American banjo player and singer who was a pioneer in post-World War II bluegrass and a leading figure in the early 21st-century revival of interest in that music genre. Stanley grew up in the mountains of far southwestern Virginia, where his mother taught him to play the banjo in the traditional clawhammer style. While other banjo-picking techniques involve the upward plucking of individual strings with the fingernails or with a plectrum, clawhammer players use a consistent downward stroke to strum the strings with ...(100 of 427 words)