Ralph Stanley Fest Spreads the Music to Fans and Beyond

CLINTWOOD, Va.—James King paused. Silence on the line. Then came a sniffle and his choked up voice.
“I’m going to visit Carter again,” King said.

Carter as in the late Carter Stanley, who with brother Ralph, led the seminal Stanley Brothers.

Ask around. Pay attention. Better still, drive up and check out Ralph Stanley’s 38th Annual Hills of Home Bluegrass Festival outside Coeburn from May 22-24.
A pilgrimage for those seeking the deep roots where bluegrass met old-time music, the site is literally Stanley’s home in the hills.

He and his late brother Carter grew up there, climbed down into the world in the 1940s, spread their sound around and always came back. So when Ralph Stanley decided to stage an annual bluegrass festival, no better site than his hills of home existed.
And yes, Carter Stanley is buried there.

“Oh son, Carter Stanley, Stanley Brothers, it’s pretty deep ain’t it?” King, whose sound is deep-fried in the sounds of the Stanleys, said recently by phone from Amelia, Va.

Deep, reverential, oh yes. But humor can be found, too.

“Me and Ralph went up to his grave one time, had a speaker set up right there in the graveyard. And Ralph said, ‘Welcome to the Hills of Home graveyard,’ ” King said. “He sang about nine or 10 songs right there.”

Hills of Home attendees will hear a long weekend of songs, bluegrass songs. In addition to King and Stanley, scheduled performers include Larry Sparks, The Lewis Family and The Grascals.

Some will have new albums to promote. King has two new albums, one as a member of bluegrass supergroup Longview and his own new gospel album.
“Oh man, it’s ‘Garden in the Sky,’ ” King said of his new gospel album, which while available at his shows will not be released to stores until early June. “It has six brand-new songs. It’s also a greatest hits of my gospel songs. This one looks like it’s going to be great.”

But King wanted to talk about the Stanley Brothers. Makes sense. King will tell anyone the Stanleys are why he sings bluegrass. They are his Elvis, the pinnacle and the epitome of heroes.

Roll back to 1984. King pointed his car through St. Paul and toward Stanley’s festival. He was about to make his first appearance at Hills of Home.
“I reached the top, and there it was,” King said. “The only other time I’ve had chills like that was when I met Merle Haggard. It was a bone-aching chill that went down my spine.”

King paused again, choking back the tears.

“It’s God’s country. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” King said. And he sang a line. “Like Carter sang in ‘White Dove,’ ‘In the deep rolling hills of old Virginia,’ that’s what he meant. I understand where it comes from.”

So even now, 24 years after his first immersion into the land of the Stanleys, King is no less excited. He’s no less emotional.

“Oh yeah, Carter Stanley. He’s all over me up there. I get up there singing his songs, and I believe he’s there,” King said, choking up again. “Carter is there.”

SCHEDULE
May 22, 5-11 p.m.: Ralph Stanley, Cherryholmes, Dave Evans, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, Ernie Thacker, The Larkins and The Midnight Ramblers.
May 23, noon-11 p.m.: Ralph Stanley, J.D. Crowe & The New South, Larry Sparks, The Grascals, The Lewis Family, James King Band and Bluegrass Mountaineers.
May 24, noon-11 p.m.: Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Paul Williams & Victory Trio, Charlie Sizemore Band, Melvin Goins, George Shuffler, Kenneth Davis & The Scott Co. Boys, and Jeffrey Kennedy & Big Caney Bluegrass.

IF YOU GO
What: Ralph Stanley’s 38th Annual Hills of Home Bluegrass Festival
When: May 22-24
Where: Hills of Home Park on Smith Ridge between Coeburn and McClure
Tickets: $30 per day, $60 for a two-day ticket, $80 for a three-day ticket
Info: (606) 784-9936
Web: http://www.drralphstanley.com
And: http://www.thejameskingband.com

SCHEDULE
May 22, 5-11 p.m.: Ralph Stanley, Cherryholmes, Dave Evans, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, Ernie Thacker, The Larkins and The Midnight Ramblers.
May 23, noon-11 p.m.: Ralph Stanley, J.D. Crowe & The New South, Larry Sparks, The Grascals, The Lewis Family, James King Band and Bluegrass Mountaineers.
May 24, noon-11 p.m.: Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Paul Williams & Victory Trio, Charlie Sizemore Band, Melvin Goins, George Shuffler, Kenneth Davis & The Scott Co. Boys, and Jeffrey Kennedy & Big Caney Bluegrass.

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at .