If you’ve ever spent an extended amount of time traveling through southwest Virginia, you’ve probably seen the bumper stickers proudly emblazoned on the back of a number of cars and pick-up trucks that read “Ralph Stanley for President”.  I know that one of my good friends who lives in Abingdon has one on his truck.  As a matter of fact, I would almost wager there was a time when the much-beloved bluegrass legend’s bumper stickers were actually more common than those of actual Presidential candidates.  In “Clinch Mountain Country”, Ralph Stanley is much than just a music legend, he’s a neighbor.  [It’s also worth noting that the Virginia General Assembly just this year named Ralph Stanley the Outstanding Virginian].  Which leads me to this:

I usually don’t think too much about political endorsements from glamorous Hollywood stars or big-time musicians.  So when Chuck Norris aka “Walker Texas Ranger” threw his support behind Mike Huckabee or when any number of musical acts came out for Barack Obama, I barely gave it a second thought (although calling Chuck Norris a Hollywood star is a somewhat questionable statement I guess, calling him glamorous is just downright foolish).   But when Ralph Stanley recently recorded a radio spot in support of Barack Obama (the ad is currently airing in southwest Virginia) I actually stopped and said “Hmmmm, this might actually have an impact”.

What that impact may be I couldn’t tell you.  For all I know, I’ve been dipping into the “magic water” again.  I guess in some cases you might see a few more Obama stickers appearing next to those declaring “Ralph for Prez”.  Or you might find a few folks grabbing a bucket of warm water and putty knife and heading out to their vehicle to voice their own need for “change”.  Either way, I’m somewhat intrigued and this story has received a great deal of attention.  Just type in “Ralph Stanley for President” in a Google search and you’ll find page after page of news stories on this recent political endorsement.

Ralph Stanley may have made a name for himself by picking the banjo, but these days he’s making news for picking a President.  [you can listen to the Barack Obama radio ad featuring Dr. Ralph Stanley after the break] Thoughts?

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