Ralph Stanley - Back To The Cross

(Freeland Recording Co. FRC-CD638) 1992

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This Gospel album was recorded on 19th March 1992 at Music Row Audio in Nashville, Tn.

It was the first release on Dick Freeland's new label, after he'd come out of retirement (having sold Rebel at the end of the '70s). It was also the first album to feature Art Stamper on 2nd fiddle and together with Shelton Feazell singing bass, the sound is a bit different. Or maybe it's just the Nashville studio...

Art Stamper had played with The Stanley Brothers in the '50s, and I guess had been brought back to help on fiddle due to Curly Ray's health problems.

Back To The Cross had previously been recorded by Flatt & Scruggs in 1950.

Sinner Man is a different song to the one Ralph had cut on his 1971 Cry From The Cross LP.

Over The Sunset Hill had previously been recorded by Ralph on Over The Sunset Hill, his second LP for King in 1968.

No Burdens Pass Through had previously been recorded by The Stanley Brothers for King in 1964, and was written by Paul 'Moon' Mullins,^[1] who also recorded the song in 1966 on his LP 'Hymns From The Hills' (Jalyn JLP 106).

Ricky Skaggs mother, Dorothy Skaggs wrote When We Meet On That Evergreen Shore and had sung it on Ricky's 1975 'That's It' (Rebel SLP-1550) LP.

• Ralph Stanley: banjo, vocals
• Junior Blankenship: lead guitar
• Curly Ray Cline: fiddle
• Jack Cooke: bass
• Shelton Feazell: bass vocal
• Art Stamper: fiddle
• Ernie Thacker: guitar, mandolin vocals

NB: Liner notes don't specify instruments/vocal parts for individual tracks, so the above is guesswork. (*) Shelton Feazell can be heard singing bass vocal on these tracks.

Other artwork / related images:

[1] Gary B. Reid's book 'The Music Of The Stanley Brothers' (p. 179)