Ralph Stanley Concert Released In ‘Live At The Bottom Line’ Series

A rare concert recording featuring Ralph Stanley performing at New York’s famed Bottom Line club, Ralph Stanley: Live At The Bottom Line, has been released and is in stores and available online now. The live set was recorded at the legendary Big Apple nightclub in 2002, and features many of Stanley’s best-known songs, including “Man of Constant Sorrow,” and “O Death.” He is backed by a host of prestigious musicians on the recording, with Stuart Duncan (violin), James Shelton (guitar), Dennis Crouch (bass), and Mike Compton (mandolin) performing with the bluegrass legend for the special evening.

The show marked the only time that Stanley played the venue, but he was one of many roots artists to showcase their talents at the hotspot, along with artists like Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Doc Watson, and Emmylou Harris.

“You could get the New York Times, and Rolling Stone, and The Daily News, and The New York Post, all covering your gig,” Bottom Line co-founder Allan Pepper said. “And the record companies would get celebrities to come to the shows, so suddenly you see Andy Warhol coming to see Dolly Parton, and there’s a picture and a big story about that. There was a buzz factor that played heavily into building this scene nationally. An artist could be on a morning or an evening news show, and could even do a live radio broadcast. In that way, New York was pretty big for the country music scene. Plus at our place, you could sit, and it was comfortable and intimate, and that was very important for getting the fans and press to come out. It was all part of the star-making machinery.”

The project is the first album released featuring the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor inductee since his passing in June 2016.

Live At The Bottom Line Track Listing:
1. O Death
2. Band Introductions
3. Girl from the Greenbriar Shore
4. False-Hearted
5. Henry Lee
6. I’ll Remember You Love, In My Prayers
7. Lift Him Up
8. Wild Bill Jones
9. Hemlocks & Primroses
10. Look On and Cry
11. Calling You
12. Pretty Polly
13. Great High Mountain
14. Man of Constant Sorrow
15. Amazing Grace

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Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at [email protected].

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