Bluegrass stalwart still pickin' strings (Updated December 26, 2012)

Ralph Stanley has been playing the banjo longer than most people reading this have been alive. The bluegrass stalwart, inspired by his Virginia mountain home, is famous for the clawhammer style of picking that he and his older brother Carter became known for. But it was Ralph who carried on in the wake of his brother's death and made a name for himself in the music industry.

Ralph got his first banjo when he was just a teenager, and together with Carter performed as The Stanley Brothers (with their band, the Clinch Mountain Boys). They drew heavily on the musical traditions of their area, and with the support of the community became popular on several local radio stations and had a run on TV station WCYB as part of the show "Farm and Fun Time."

All told, Ralph and Carter blazed a trail through four major labels, including Columbia, Mercury, Starday and King. But when Carter died in a Virginia hospital after a steady decline in health, Ralph carried on with haunting melodies and vocals and became popular at bluegrass festivals around the country. He also served as an inspiration to many artists, including Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, the late Keith Whitley and Ricky Skaggs.

Ralph Stanley is credited on at least 11 albums, and his music has also been featured in films like 2000's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and in the TV series "In the Heat of the Night." In 2012, he was featured on several tracks for the movie "Lawless."

Among his awards and honors, Stanley was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1992 and 2000, and became the first person inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in the third millennium. He still maintains an extensive touring schedule, including upcoming dates in 2013. One of those stops will include the 43rd Annual Memorial Bluegrass Festival at Hills of Home Park in Coeburn, Virginia on May 23-25.