Former Clinch Mountain Boy Celebrated with Loan of Fiddle

In remembrance of his birthday on January 10th, the children of Curley Ray Cline officially loaned their father’s fiddle to the Ralph Stanley Museum. The fiddle, which is estimated to be close to 50 years old, is the one he recorded and performed with while he was a Clinch Mountain Boy (1966-1993).

A small ceremony was held at the museum to honor the life and talent of Curley Ray. Some of those in attendance were Mr. Cline’s children Timmy, Pat, and ; his grandson, Ralph Stanley and his wife Jimmie; Ralph Stanley II and family; current Clinch Mountain Boys James Shelton and John Rigsby; past Clinch Mountain Boys Kenneth Davis and Todd Meade; and museum staff and volunteers. Those who were closest to Mr. Cline shared their best memories of him. By the request of the family, John Rigsby and Todd Meade played the fiddle as a tribute to Curley Ray. Although the fiddle had not been played for close to 12 years, it sounded as good as the day he put it away.

The fiddle has a long history that can be seen on it’s exterior. It had been played so much that the neck and fret board has indentations where Curley Ray’s fingers would play. The crack located on the face of the fiddle happened during the trip back from a tour of Japan. The altitude from the plane trip had put enough stress on the instrument that the band could hear it cracking. Instead of throwing the instrument away or getting a new one, Curley Ray had the fiddle repaired and continued to use it. Another interesting piece to the fiddle is that Curley Ray placed rattlesnake rattles inside the instrument for a more unique sound. There are still there today.

The fiddle and its accessories are on display in the Clinch Mountain Boy Gallery. Come by and see this beautiful piece of band history.