Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys

An honorary doctorate degree from Lincoln Memorial University made it official, but Ralph Stanley has been a doctor of bluegrass since the 1940s, when he began to hone his clawhammer banjo style. Stanley's soaring Southern gospel vocals grew from his exposure to Baptist church choirs and the rural music customs of his hometown in southwestern Virginia. In 2002, his a cappella rendition of the Appalachian hymn "O Death" on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack earned him a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.