[POL]≡ Download Free Man of Constant Sorrow My Life and Times Ralph Stanley Eddie Dean 9781592404254 Books

Man of Constant Sorrow My Life and Times Ralph Stanley Eddie Dean 9781592404254 Books

Download As PDF : Man of Constant Sorrow My Life and Times Ralph Stanley Eddie Dean 9781592404254 Books

Man of Constant Sorrow My Life and Times Ralph Stanley Eddie Dean 9781592404254 Books

what a beautiful life. Ralph always stayed true to the mountain music he learned from his mother. He never changed and his music never did either. He was a true pioneer of Bluegrass Music and was every bit as much of a Legend as Bill Monroe. The only thing he loved more than his music was the love and devotion he had for all of his family, What a beautiful life and his music will live on forever and ever. What a life What a story. You will love every minute of this book. I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the stories of all of the fun times he had on the road and all of the jokes and pranks they played on each other. I really loved this book, I love Ralph , and his music will go on living for eternity.


Tags : Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times [Ralph Stanley, Eddie Dean] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV><B>A giant of American music opens the book on his wrenching professional and personal journeys,Ralph Stanley, Eddie Dean,Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times,Gotham,1592404251,Bluegrass musicians;United States;Biography.,Country music;Biography.,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Music,BLUEGRASS,Biography,Biography & Autobiography,Biography & Autobiography Composers & Musicians,Biography Autobiography,BiographyAutobiography,Bluegrass musicians,Composers & Musicians - General,GENERAL,General Adult,Genres & Styles - Country & Bluegrass - General,Non-Fiction,Stanley, Ralph,United States

Man of Constant Sorrow My Life and Times Ralph Stanley Eddie Dean 9781592404254 Books Reviews

Interesting glimpse into the early 20th century in rural USA and the difficult life of the residents. Pursuing a career in music was a natural because of Ralph Stanley's experiences singing in church as a child, especially when it comes to his unique voice and a cappella music. The early part of the book is the most detailed and interesting, especially the descriptions of Carter and their lives on the road. Nothing was easy for the Stanley brothers but they showed a tenacity and commitment to "Mountain Music" that iwas honorable. They both served in WWII and returned to a post war America coming alive with Bluegrass Music in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, Flatt and Scruggs, Reno and Smiley, Jim and Jesse, etc., they were the ones to emulate and beat! The Stanleys distained electric instruments, drums, and other innovations (like Rock and Roll music) and retained true to their upbringing in music. This wasn't an easy choice in the 1960's and 1970's as everything turned to Rock and Roll! Interesting that their "big break" later in their life involved the film 'Oh Brother, Where Art Thou' and the use of Ralph's signature songs "O Death" and "Man of Constant Sorrow" (although he didn't write either one). The writing style in this book is very plain and earthy, so don't expect professorial prose. All in all, a good if slightly light read and an interesting window into one of the giants of Bluegrass/Mountain/Appalachian music with his '100 year old voice'. Ralph is truly one for the ages!!
One of the two best autobiographies I've read in American country music. (The other is Charlie Louvin's "Satan is Real.") Both the Stanley Brothers and the Louvin Brothers were cursed, like virtually every other brother act in rock and country, with an inability to get along. (Everleys, Davies, Gallaghers, Fogertys, etc.), What makes these stories so compelling is that the Stanleys (and the Louvins) came from another world the isolated, hardscrabble. fundamentalist depths of hillbilly land. Both sets of brothers were worked half to death by strick, Old Testament fathers, and in the end the weaker brother took refuge in the bottle. Both bands ended in breakup and broken hearts over alcohol, and both of the drunken brothers passed away first, leaving the sober survivor to tell the story. Sad books, full of liquor and the Holy Ghost.
This is a wonderful autobiography full of fascinating details and information about the early days of bluegrass and the Stanley Brothers in particular. It reads with all the colloquialisms you would expect from someone born and raised in the Appalachian mountains of Southwest Virginia, who had little formal education. His account was recorded and directly transcribed to print with few editorial changes. The struggles Ralph and Carter faced in forging their own sound in the early days of recorded music is also a look into our country's history in the years after World War II when recorded music was in its infancy. Driving long distances over primitive roads to venues that paid very little, if anything all, was typical. The Stanley Brothers struggled financially, especially in the beginning, but the only alternative was the"dark coal mines" or subsistence farming. They might have broken up had they not been persistent with their dreams. Ralph quit "the road" twice, once to return home to farming, a profession for which he had little aptitude, the second time, he and Carter went to Detroit to work in the auto factories. They quickly returned to what they loved and had aptitude, which was music. Over the years, feuding with Flatt and Scruggs, who were much more successful commercially, was a continuing problem, along with Carter's alcoholism, which would lead to his death in 1966. Over the years, Ralph and Carter argued over the question of whether to become more commercial or remain true to their mountain roots. Ralph won that argument but it wasn't until the movie, "O Brother Where Art Thou?" was released, with Angel Band and Man of Constant Sorrow, years after Carter's death, that the public discovered the Stanley Brothers. Ralph finally reaped the financial rewards that eluded him for so many years. Today, those who love bluegrass music would agree that the Stanley Brothers were unequaled in singing and their songs have become part of the American Songbook. If you like the Stanley Brothers, you will love this book!
what a beautiful life. Ralph always stayed true to the mountain music he learned from his mother. He never changed and his music never did either. He was a true pioneer of Bluegrass Music and was every bit as much of a Legend as Bill Monroe. The only thing he loved more than his music was the love and devotion he had for all of his family, What a beautiful life and his music will live on forever and ever. What a life What a story. You will love every minute of this book. I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the stories of all of the fun times he had on the road and all of the jokes and pranks they played on each other. I really loved this book, I love Ralph , and his music will go on living for eternity.