The Niceville Public Library and the Friends of the Library are pleased to present the one-man play called A Life of Sorrow, the Life and Times of Carter Stanley portrayed by Gary Reid. This free theatrical performance will be held on Friday, March 11 at 2:30 pm in the Niceville Community Center, 204 Partin Drive N, adjacent to the Library.
Carter Stanley played the music, he wrote the songs, and… he self-destructed. This program touches on a variety of aspects from the rich and colorful life of this legendary mountain musician. Along with his brother, famed Appalachian performer Ralph Stanley, they were known as the Stanley Brothers, he fronted a bluegrass-styled band from 1946 until his untimely passing at the age of 41 in 1966. Carter Stanley was an expressive singer and a prolific songwriter. Bill Monroe, the acknowledged Father of Bluegrass, once called him the “best natural lead singer” he’d ever heard. As the Stanley Brothers, they were the second professional band to perform the style of music that came to be known as bluegrass.
As a bluegrass enthusiast and historian for over 40 years, Gary Reid is regarded as the foremost authority on the music of the Stanley Brothers. In 2009, Reid conceived the idea of putting together a one-man show about Carter Stanley. Reid has spent years collecting memorabilia of the brothers and has all of their single and album releases as well as some 80 hours of live recordings and close to 500 photos. But, he says, “Can you ever have too much?”
Reid enjoys meeting and talking with fans who knew or saw the Stanley Brothers in years gone by, and encourages them to bring photos to the show and share.
For further information, contact: Lora A. Glass of the Niceville Public Library at 850-279-4863 ext.1504 or Gary Reid, PO Box 13413, Roanoke, VA 24033, (540) 982-6900,[email protected]
