Ralph Stanley has Heart Surgery

Dr. Ralph Stanley had triple-bypass surgery yesterday at a hospital near his home in Virginia. The 78-year-old bluegrass pioneer is expected to make a full recovery. The surgery was scheduled following a routine physical. Stanley, who still actively tours, first made his mark in the late ’40s performing with his brother, Carter, and their band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. After Carter’s death in 1966, Ralph continued on as a solo artist, winning Grammy Awards for his work on the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack. His most recent Grammy came in 2002 for the bluegrass album Lost in the Lonesome Pines (recorded with Jim Lauderdale). Last year, the Ralph Stanley Museum & Traditional Mountain Music Center opened in Clintwood, VA and is part of Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.