Ralph II coming to Mountaineer

Jan. 5—MILTON — Grammy Award-winning Ralph Stanley II and The Clinch Mountain Boys will bring their show to the Mountaineer Opry House and Double S Entertainment this month. Known as "Two" by fans, Stanley has completed six solo albums, along with the highly acclaimed duet album with his father titled "'Side by Side."

Inspired by Keith Whitley's performances with Dr. Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys, he decided at 12 to become a professional musician and began learning in earnest.

Despite choosing guitar over banjo, for which the elder Stanley was famous, Stanley went on to become the lead singer of his father's band in 1995.

As his father wished, he's taken over the band and, in 2017, Stanley Family Records released a self-titled album by Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys. Other band members are John Rigsby on fiddle and mandolin, Alex Leach on banjo, Randall Hibbits on the upright bass, and Ralph II on guitar.