I was checking out some banjo blogs tonight and I came across a shocking story on
Banjo3blog; What do you mean, Who is Ralph Stanley? Ralph Stanley is one of the greats, right up there with Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe.
I have been working on Ralph Stanley’s version of “Little Maggie”, which in my humble opinion, is one of his best and a great motivator to become a better banjo player.
If you would like to know more about Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, there is a pretty good overview at wikipedia, and of course the link above to Banjo3blog has a great article, pictures and more info about Dr. Stanley.
I’ve included a clip of “little Maggie” so you can hear Ralph play for yourself.
Listen to his powerful forward rolls and great backup, all this, while he belts out the vocals. His tone and accuracy are amazing and his subtle rhythm licks add another dimension to this song. If you learn to play this song well, you will pick up a lot of ideas and a few neat transistions from G to F and vice versa.
Well, I better get back to my original post, but before I go, I have to say; Long Live Ralph Stanley.
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