A true icon who has influenced generations of performers, Ralph Stanley has helped bring the legacy of centuries-old English and Appalachian music to bear on the country, bluegrass, gospel and pop over the last 50 years.

Listing those who claim inspiration from Stanley is extremely difficult because of its size, but some of the more notable entries include Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Scaggs, and Jerry Garcia. In recent years he has added immeasurably to the country's cultural tableau, particularly with his contributions to the sensationally popular film O Brother, Where Art Thou. Stanley was also the featured performer in the "Down From the Mountain" tour that celebrated the film's music.

His stature is reflected in the many accolades he has received, including three Grammy’s and six nominations, membership in the Grand Ole Opry, the Library of Congress's "Living Legend" medal, the National Endowment for the Arts' "National Heritage Fellowship," presented by President Ronald Reagan, CMA and ACM "Album of the Year" awards and an honorary Doctorate of Music from Lincoln Memorial University. His own favorite, he says, is his 2002 Grammy for Best Country Male Vocalist in a field that included Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Tim McGraw and Ryan Adams. Given his level of accomplishment, he stands with a handful of iconic figures in popular music, including Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Bill Monroe and B. B. King.

Stanley remains unfailingly true to that vision, to presenting what he refers "that old-time, mountain-style, what-they-call-bluegrass music" and, at 79, he is as prolific, as popular, and as appreciated as ever. The esteem in which he is held by other artists and generations of musicians is perhaps best seen in his list of duet partners in recent years--George Jones, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Alison Krauss, Joan Baez, and Dolly Parton. He performs well over 100 dates a year with his band the Clinch Mountain Boys, and while he is known as a rather taciturn man, he is admittedly enjoying the appreciation that he and his music have garnered. Well over 100 albums and 60 years into the journey have given Ralph Stanley a lasting place in the elite echelons of American music.

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