The question sounds odd coming from Ralph Stanley, whose creaky tenor seems as ancient as the rugged mountains that rise above his home in Clintwood, Va.
"You know what a Zimmer is?" Stanley asks, sitting comfortably in a rocker, his hands creviced like walnuts and his hair wavy and gray.
It's a safe bet there aren't many other Zimmers in this part of southwest Virginia, a land of coal mines and deep forests that Stanley has called home most his life.
But then the 79-year-old patriarch of mountain music - who plays at Tall Stacks' Great American Insurance Group Stage today at 5:45 p.m.
- has always had a progressive streak.
His a cappella dirge "O Death" from the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" movie soundtrack introduced him to a new generation of fans.
His latest album, "A Distant Land to Roam," serves as a homespun, unvarnished tribute to the legendary Carter Family.
Stanley was born in a hollow about 12 miles from Clintwood. His father was a sawmill operator and his mother a homemaker who bought him his first banjo when he was 11 or 12.
After serving in World War II, he and his brother Carter formed the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys in 1946. Influenced by Bill Monroe, they helped define the music that would become known as bluegrass, fusing Monroe's rapid rhythms with the mountain folk of groups such as the Carter Family, who hailed from this same rocky corner of Virginia.
The Stanleys created a distinct three-part harmony that combined the lead vocal of Carter with Ralph's tenor and an even higher part sung by bandmate Pee Wee Lambert.
The brothers were swept into the burgeoning folk movement and became popular at colleges and festivals, including the Newport Folk Festival in 1959.
But when Carter died of liver disease in 1966, Ralph wasn't sure he could continue. His brother had been the main songwriter, lead singer and front man, and Ralph, by his own account, was withdrawn and shy.
"Within weeks ...
I got phone calls and letters and telegrams and they all said 'don't quit.' They said, 'We've always been behind you and Carter, but now we'll be behind you even more because we know you'll need us.' "
Rock icons Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia praised his work and, in the case of Dylan, joined him for a remake of the Stanley Brothers' "Lonesome River" in 1997.
In the '70s and '80s, Stanley became something of a relic. He had reached the point where he was being celebrated more for his past than his present.
Then, in 2000, the soundtrack to the Coen brothers' quirky comedy "O Brother, Where Art Thou?
" was released, sold 7 million copies and revived interest in traditional folk and country. Stanley was rejuvenated.
He won a Grammy for best male country vocal performance in 2002 - beating Tim McGraw, Ryan Adams, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Lyle Lovett - and was the focus of a tour and documentary inspired by the soundtrack.
Ralph Stanley the Clinch Mountain Boys, 5:45 p.m. today, Great American Insurance Group Stage.
Tickets are $25.
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