HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 228 Offered January 15, 2008 Commending Dr. Ralph Stanley. ---------- Patron-- Phillips ----------

WHEREAS, Dr. Ralph Stanley, a native Virginian, has for nearly 60 years been one of the foremost performers of American traditional mountain music; and

WHEREAS, born in Dickenson County and still a resident of Southwest Virginia, Dr. Ralph Stanley, with his band, the Clinch Mountain Boys, has been both a peerless performer and an inspiration to other musicians as diverse as Joan Baez, Dwight Yoakam, and Jerry Garcia; and

WHEREAS, still performing as many as 150 times per year, Dr. Ralph Stanley has recorded more than 170 albums of traditional and bluegrass music and is one of the last living founders of this distinctly American art form; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Ralph Stanley has performed for two presidential inaugurations (Presidents Carter and Clinton); has toured Europe, Japan, and the Far East; and has appeared on numerous network television specials; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Ralph Stanley, who holds an honorary doctorate of music from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, has repeatedly earned Album of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year citations from the International Bluegrass Music Association; and

WHEREAS, the success of the film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? has brought Dr. Ralph Stanley renewed national acclaim, as he contributed to the award-winning soundtrack with the a capella solo "Oh, Death" and, with the Stanley Brothers, "Angel Band"; and

WHEREAS, these contributions earned for Dr. Ralph Stanley his first Grammy Awards in 2001, and in 2002, he followed up that notable success with another Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album (Lost in the Lonesome Pines); and

WHEREAS, in 2004, the Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Music Center opened in Clintwood, and that same year, the Virginia Press Association named Dr. Ralph Stanley as Virginian of the Year; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his national and worldwide success, Dr. Ralph Stanley contributes in numerous ways to Dickenson County and the surrounding area through concerts at local schools and his annual Memorial Day Festival at his "Old Homeplace," which brings thousands of fans from around the world to Southwest Virginia; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Dr. Ralph Stanley for his legendary lifetime musical achievements and for his steadfast support of Dickenson County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dr. Ralph Stanley as an expression of the General Assembly's congratulations, appreciation, and best wishes for continued success.