Dear Ralph —
You may remember me as Shorty Jonas, a disk jockey at WNER, in Live Oak, Florida, in the late fifties. You and Carter and the Clinch Mountain Boys headlined the Suwannee River Jamboree for a while.
I remember the band members as being Chubby Anthony on the fiddle, and Bill "Dad" Napier on the mandolin, and as the comedy guy.
Since then, I served a career in the U. S. Air Force as a jet fighter pilot. I flew 125 missions in Vietnam, in the F-4 Phantom. I flew the F-16 Viper my last five years on active duty. I punched out of one once when the engine failed. I retired in 1986, and taught Air Force Junior ROTC in Arizona high schools until I retired from that in the summer of 2004.
Along the way, I've produced 14 albums of the music of the "warrior musician." You can get a better idea at my website (URL below.)
I've always considered the Stanleys the best of all bluegrass musicians, with the possible exception of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys. Even so, I'd hate to have to choose between the two of you.
If you're ever near Prescott, Arizona, I'd love to come to your show and renew our acquaintance. Good luck and God bless.
------ Dick Jonas www.erosonic.com Bluegrass Bulletin Board brought to you by the fan club of Dr Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys subscribe or unsubscribe at http://drralphstanley.com/email.shtml
