One correction is in order: Ralph got away from picking the banjo in the 3-finger “Scruggs style” many years ago, soon after his brother Carter died, in favor of the older “clawhammer” style that his mother taught him. This, along with the introduction of a cappella singing and increased number of gospel songs in his set list, was a conscious decision on his part and is one thing that sets him apart from other bluegrass acts. It sure didn’t help his commercial appeal (which was the reason the Stanley Brothers adopted the hard-driving Scruggs style of banjo in the first place, in the 50′s, when they were pretty much forced to adapt to get gigs. Besides, how many banjo players do you see that do much of the singing? There is a reason for that–in bluegrass, the banjo player’s job is to drive the tempo of band.

Andy yes, the “record table”/meet and greet is a traditional part of bluegrass culture, stemming from the fact that acts had to hawk their records at shows to make ends meet. Many bands would award the record table concession to one or two members to help supplement their sideman income. (Curly Ray Cline had this gig with Ralph for many years, in addition to his legendary fiddling.)