Last Call For A Legendary Lineup

A short set, a legendary lineup, and some lovely moments from Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys.

This was to be Keith Whitley’s last tour with the CMB. He left to work for J.D. Crowe – yet another legendary collaboration.

Listen for Whitley’s emotive ornamentation on the last verse of “Rank Strangers”; the stunning harmony singing on “Let Me Love You One More Time”; the way Dr. Ralph and Curly Ray Cline tear into “Lost Train Blues”; the unusual arrangement of “Gloryland”, with Jack Cooke on tenor and Whitley on baritone; Cooke’s beautifully-economical bass work throughout.

This is one of those sets that makes me wish Keith Whitley had stuck with bluegrass.

One Great Train and Two Cabooses

First of all, those of you who know bluegrass music, consider this lineup of The Clinch Mountain Boys:

・Ralph Stanley (Banjo, Vocals)
・Roy Lee Centers (Guitar, Vocals)
・Keith Whitely (Guitar, Vocals)
・Ricky Skaggs (Mandolin, Vocals)
・Curly Ray Cline (Fiddle)
・Jack Cooke (Bass, Vocals)

Now, imagine that two out of the three who could be called internationally-famous are relegated to the back of the line. Yup, that’s what happens to Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley who, as teenagers, had joined the band just a year or so before.

That said, their featured number, “Don’t Cheat In Our Hometown” is one of the highlights of the set. Jack Cooke’s plain-spoken take on “Sittin’ On Top Of the World” is another.

The real standout is fiddler, Curly Ray Cline, who closes the set with “Orange Blossom Special”, fiddling the ode to that mighty train like it was the grandest, most terrible thing he had ever seen.

Who knows? Maybe it was.