Great High Mountain

by Ralph Stanley

Overview

Thanks to his long career and numerous musical milestones, Ralph Stanley has become an institution and then some. Indeed, if he'd done no more than play his role in the legendary Stanley Brothers with his brother Carter, his rep would've been sealed. But Stanley seems to have more musical lives than a hip cat, with his latest ascension following O Brother, Where Art Thou? Great High Mountain isn't so much a follow-up to Stanley's O Brother work as a short retrospective, perhaps designed for the bluegrass fan unfamiliar with the span of his musical legacy. This is at least Rebel's third compilation of Stanley's music, and while it's quite enjoyable, one starts to imagine that a box set -- and not another compilation -- is what's really needed. The real problem with Great High Mountain, though, is that it barely scratches the surface of Stanley's work at Rebel. Indeed, the album is only 37 minutes long, meaning that it could've been twice as long and still fit on one disc. Rebel sweetens the package by adding one unreleased cut from 1976, "I'm Lonesome Without You." Great High Mountain isn't a bad place for the Stanley novice to start, but one might also consider other classic albums like Saturday Night & Sunday Morning. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/03/2004
Label:	Rebel
UPC:	0032511113023
Rank:	99134

Tracks

1. I've Always Been a Rambler
2. Bottleg John
3. Who Will Call You Sweetheart
4. Go and Leave Me If You Wish To
5. Great High Mountain
6. Sharecropper's Son
7. Clinch Mountain Backstep
8. I'm Lonesome Without You
9. Turn Back, Turn Back
10. I'll Remember You Love in My Prayers
11. Wild Geese Cry Again
12. I've Got a Mule to Ride
13. Amazing Grace
14. Home in the Mountains

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ralph Stanley   Primary Artist,Tenor (Vocal),Vocals,Banjo
Chester "Pops" Marshall   Vocals
Ricky Lee   Guitar,Vocals,Bass (Vocal)
Roy Lee Centers   Vocals,Guitar,Baritone (Vocal)
Ed Ferris   Double Bass,Bass
Danny Marshall   Vocals,Bass (Vocal),Guitar
Keith Whitley   Vocals,Guitar
Jack Cooke   Double Bass,Vocals,Bass,Tenor (Vocal),Baritone (Vocal)
Ralph Stanley II   Guitar
Keith Whitely   Guitar,Vocals,Baritone (Vocal)
Steve Sparkman   Banjo
James Alan Shelton   Guitar
Curley Ray Cline   Fiddle
Charlie Sizemore   Guitar,Vocals
James Price   Fiddle
John Rigsby   Mandolin
Ricky Skaggs   Fiddle
Junior Blankenship   Guitar

Technical Credits

David Freeman   Compilation Producer
Chris Ferrara   Design
Jim McGuire   Photography
William Shakespeare Hays   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Bill Monroe   Composer
Keith Whitley   Composer
G.B. Grayson   Composer
Carter Stanley   Composer
Mark Freeman   Production Coordination
David Glasser   Compilation Mastering
Ralph Stanley   Composer,Arranger
Marvin Davis   Composer
Peter Rowan   Composer
Ruby Rakes   Composer
Rick Stanley   Composer