Ralph Stanley will sit with David Letterman tonight (11/6) to discuss his autobiography, Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times.

Letterman has dubbed this week as Country Music Week on The Late Show, with musical performances each night from prominent Nashville entertainers. Stanley will close out this theme week talking about his very personal book, written with Eddie Dean. It covers Ralph’s life from early childhood with his brother, Carter, through their time together as The Stanley Brothers, and his own musical career after Carter’s passing in 1966.

We’ll have more to say about this deeply moving autobiography soon.

The Late Show airs on CBS television at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT).

UPDATE 10:30 a.m. – We just got an update from Norma Morris, of Morris Public Relations, who handles publicity for Ralph Stanley:

“Letterman will mention the book, open it up and make some comments, but Ralph will not have the opportunity to sit down and discuss it. So he will perform one song, Room at the Top of the Stairs. The Letterman people have been just great.”

Ralph Stanley will be a guest today (10/14) on the Diane Rehm Show, broadcast on WAMU 88.5 FM in the Washington, DC metro market. He will join her live in the studio to discuss his autobiography, Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times, due for release tomorrow (10/15) by Gotham Books.

The show can be heard on WAMU online and is syndicated on 150 NPR affiliate stations all over the US. The segment with Ralph is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. (EDT).

Audio archives are maintained on the WAMU site, and today’s show will be available in the archive approximately one hour after the program ends.

UPDATE 1:00 p.m. – We just heard from WAMU’s Bluegrass Country host Katy Daley, who sent along a couple of photos from today’s visit from a number of bluegrass legends.

While Dr. Ralph Stanley was being interviewed (and line singing) with Diane Rehm, Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen were across the hall on the air with Lee Michael Demsey on Bluegrass Country.  Hillman and Pederson sang a few songs live — Wait a Minute, Love Reunited among them — and talked their 45-years in the music business — Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Desert Rose Band.

They’re in town to play the Birchmere tonight with The Grascals.  Chris Hillman is giving a lecture on his career at the Library of Congress on Friday from Noon to 1.

Working Girl Blues: The Life And Music Of Hazel Dickens by Hazel Dickens and Bill Malone, has been named the winner of a Certificate of Merit for the 2009 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.

Working Girl Blues, which was published in 2008 by the University of Illinois Press, relates the life story of singer and songwriter Hazel Dickens, the inspiring voice of a whole generation of women and workers. It contains the lyrics to and comments on 40 of her wonderful songs, as well as a brief biography.

The winners will be recognized during an awards banquet to be held at the Chateau Bourbon in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, May 22, 2010.

Steve Martin graces the cover of the October issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, being mailed to subscribers this week. The hilarious image is one that Martin had considered for the cover of his new banjo CD, The Crow.

Inside the magazine is an interview with Martin conducted by fellow banjo picker Pete Wernick.

In addition to all their regular features, Managing Editor Sharon McGraw tells us that the new issue also has a special 20th Anniversary overview of the International Bluegrass Music Awards.

Sharon also invites all of our readers who will be at IBMA next week to swing by the BU booth in the exhibit hall for some special offers.

You can find subscription and single issue purchase info for Bluegrass Unlimited on their web site.