Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times

Ralph Stanley had an interesting life and tells it in great detail with special interest for fans of the bluegrass/country/folk music styles. Also a testimony to perseverence and faith. Highly recommended.

I can hear Ralph's voice tell me the story of his life as I read through the pages of "Man of Constant Sorrow." Ralph is the greatest mountain singer/banjo player in the world. Listen as he tells about his humble beginnings with his beloved brother Carter, the struggles Ralph had after the passing of Carter, and the years of survival playing his music through the good and bad times. This book opens up and let's the reader see the private life of Ralph that the majority of fans never knew. I hope Ralph is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame before his passing. Ralph is a legend, a true mountain performer. Through out the book on numerous occasions, Ralph mentions that he is not really a bluegrass performer, he is a performer of the traditional music of the mountains; from sacred hymns from his childhood, to the writings of Carter and himself. Ralph is a man who has been through constant sorrow, and you can hear/feel it every time he sings. I could not lay this book down, and I would recommend every fan of Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, to the Stanley Brothers, this book must be on your reading list. If you are a new fan and recently discovered Ralph, this will give you an inside look to his career and his love and passion for the greatest music in the world. The stories of fiddler Curly Ray Cline is priceless. A friend of mine use to travel with Curly in the late 70's, and he can tell some of the most hilarious stories of this legend. The personal story of Ralph is long over due, and I hope we have Ralph around for many years to come. A new generation needs to be introduced and to observe how the musical heritage of the mountains are suppose to be sung and played, and to have an appreciation for this legend. RIP Carter.

Ralph Stanley's way of speaking is in itself a throwback to an earlier time in a relatively isolated mountain region of the South. And on top of that, even as a child, people said he was the boy with the 100 year old voice. In his own words, with good shaping and organizing by Eddie Dean, he tells of his early life, his start in the music business and many details of all the miles traveled and the people along the way. While he repeatedly says he doesn't like to talk much, he talks plenty in this book, and in some ways I wish it could have been longer, since there's a lot to tell in a life as long and far reaching as his has been. One thing that makes it especially interesting is a look into Ralph's ways as a leader, as a family man, and as a man who's sometimes called on to make moral judgements. Not everything he says or thinks fits into neat categories, and so there are surprises and plenty of things to make you think. If you're a fan of his music as I have been, this book provides a great complement to the songs and sounds. If you're not, this book will provide a great entry point.

Having come across bits and pieces of the Ralph Stanley story over the years, it was good to finally get to read it in his own words. I did note that some parts had the language sanitized over previous reported interviews (mostly taking out cussing and putting in milder language) The book gives an inside look to the world of the 1930's on in the mountains and across the U.S. trying to make a living in a changing genre of music. I highly recommend it.

I thought the book was a good read on Ralph Stanley. He is an icon. Although it did seem like he tried to blame all his troubles on someone else, which kind of surprised me......because Ralph seems like such a wonderful good person. Which I believe he is......more pictures would have been nice; but all in all, worth the money......