Smithsonian Folkways mourns the passing of bluegrass legend Dr. Ralph Stanley (1927-2016). As one of the patriarchs of bluegrass music, Stanley had an otherworldly voice that seemed to come from deep within his soul. Along with Earl Scruggs, he was an innovator of the banjo sound that has come to define bluegrass to this day; characterized by Alan Lomax as “folk music in overdrive.”

Read the full tribute here