October 20, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Alys Stephens Center presents the Claire Lynch Band with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S., Birmingham. Tickets are $65, $45, $35 and $25; student tickets are $20. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org for more information. This show is part of the Davis Architects American Voices Series. Sponsors are Davis Architects, City Stages, Reg's Coffee House, Live 100.5, WBHM, The Birmingham News, UAB and Viva Health.

Since her years with Alabama's Front Porch String Band, Claire Lynch has sold millions of records and received multiple Grammy nods, most recently for 2006's long awaited "New Day." After 55 years in the business and more than 200 recordings, Ralph Stanley is still the best banjo picker and tenor singer in bluegrass music.

Though a native of New York, Lynch arrived with her family in Alabama at 12. The intersection of her love of pop music with the region's traditional sounds fostered a style that eventually earned her two Grammy nominations, a Best Female Vocalist award from the International Bluegrass Music Association and a devoted fan base. Her songs have been recorded by Kathy Mattea and Patty Loveless, and she's performed with Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless and Pam Tillis, among others.

While long-revered by enthusiasts of folk, bluegrass and country music, Stanley has lately been commanding the kind of honors due a musical original. In 2002, he won two Grammy awards for Best Country Male Vocalist Performance - beating Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, Lyle Lovett and Ryan Adams - and Album of the Year for his part in the "O Brother" collection. Last year, he was the subject of an admiring profile in The New Yorker. He is the central figure in the documentary, "Down From the Mountain."