Ralph Stanley is to publish his autobiography, Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times on October 15.

The book covers Stanley’s entire musical career, from his start in 1946 as the younger member of the Stanley Brothers through to his emergence in 2000 as a solo superstar following the release of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album.

The forthcoming book has already caused a stir in Nashville with some criticism of country singer Tim McGraw. CMT News published a piece earlier today, which has now been taken down, that carried the following paragraph:

He takes on Tim McGraw, both for his music (”He wouldn’t know a real country song if it kicked him in the ass”) and for being disrespectful toward him when he beat out McGraw and others in 2002 for the Grammy for best male country vocal performance. Stanley also admits he still holds a grudge against the late John Duffey of the Seldom Scene for playing demeaning pranks on other bands. Oddly enough, the 82-year-old singer has nothing but fond memories of Bill Monroe, one of his early idols, even though he acknowledges Monroe quit Columbia Records in protest when that label signed the Stanley Brothers. His book is full of colorful details, such as the fact that the late Keith Whitley, while in Stanley’s band, used to style his boss’ hair before they went onstage.

CMT said that Stanley also reflects on what some might view as his own shortcomings, including his failed first marriage, his tendency to treat music primarily as a business and his refusal to hire Yankees to play in his the Clinch Mountain Boys.

Man of Constant Sorrow was written with Eddie Dean and will be published by Gotham Books. We will have many more details about this book shortly.

Pre-orders are already enabled at Barnes & Noble.

We had a number of posts last month about a serious auto accident on June 22 involving two members of Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys.

Ralph’s grandson Nathan Stanley, who plays mandolin and sings with the band, fiddler Dewey Brown, and his wife Leslie, were returning to the Browns’ home in North Carolina after a show at the Bean Blossom Festival when they were struck by a drunk driver, sending their vehicle into a ditch.

Nathan broke both his legs, and Leslie suffered a broken leg and serious bruising, causing great concern as she was six weeks pregnant at the time. Fortunately, it appears that they are all expected to recover fully, but their recuperations will be long ones.

James Alan Shelton, guitarist and road manager with Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, sent along this update on how everyone is doing.

Nathan and Leslie are recuperating at home and both seem to be doing OK. It is just going to take a lot of time for them to heal.

I think Leslie is walking a little bit but Nathan can only put his full weight on one of his broken legs. He is not able to walk and is using a wheelchair to get around. He is exercising his legs quite a bit and seems to be doing remarkably well. Nathan actually performed while sitting in his wheelchair last Thursday night at our show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, but it will be awhile before he is able to go back full time.

Dewey wasn’t as seriously injured as the other two so he is doing just fine. I saw pictures of the car and they are all very lucky to be alive. Everyone appreciates the cards, letters and prayers they have received and the concern that has been shown by the bluegrass community since the accident.

Cards and letters can be sent to the following addresses:

The Bristol Heralnd Courier has a piece in this morning’s paper from Claire Galofaro with a few updates concerning the auto accident early Monday morning involving two members of Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys. Dr. Ralph’s grandson, Nathan Stanley, and fiddler Dewey Brown and his wife Leslie were rear-ended at very high speed by an intoxicated driver while returning from a show.

Galofaro spoke with Brown about the accident, and he and Leslie’s concern about their unborn child.

The Browns are worried about their first baby.

“We haven’t heard any bad news, but they keep telling up all kinds of things that could go wrong,” Dewey Brown said. “It’s a miracle we didn’t end up upside down and trapped and drowning. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

He only returned to the scene to retrieve his fiddle from the broken-down SUV.

Nathan Stanley was recovering in the children’s intensive care unit.

“He’s been around to a lot of places, he’s way beyond his years,” Brown said. “But he is just 16. That’s young for this.”

Ralph Stanley was on his way to the hospital to visit his grandson Tuesday evening.

“Oh, gosh, I didn’t sleep all night,” said Leslie Brown’s grandmother, Anna Lee Vandyke, of Abingdon, Va., who rushed four hours to the hospital Monday morning. “I’m just thankful they weren’t killed. We’re just so lucky.”

Read the full article on the Bristol Herald web site.

We just heard back from James Alan Shelton, guitarist and road manager with Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, about the accident we reported last night involving band members Nathan Stanley and Dewey Brown

Here is his report…

A speeding drunk driver is blamed for a hit and run accident involving Leslie Brown, Dewey Brown and Nathan Stanley. Dewey and Nathan are members of bluegrass music legend Ralph Stanley’s band, The Clinch Mountain Boys. Here is the story as I know it, from phone conversations I have had with Dewey Brown.

Dewey, Nathan and Dewey’s wife Leslie were all traveling in a Nissan Murano. They were on the way to Dewey’s home in Snow Camp, North Carolina when the accident occurred at about 12:30 am Monday morning June 22. Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys had just gotten in Sunday morning from the festival at Bean Blossom, IN and Nathan was riding home with Dewey to work on songs for a duet album that they were planning to record.

They had stopped for dinner in Abingdon, VA at the home of Leslie’s grandparents and were continuing on to Snow Camp. They were approaching a bridge within about five miles of Dewey’s home when a 23 year old in a Chevy Camaro who was intoxicated hit them from behind at approximately 80 miles an hour. They were knocked into a creek but landed upright in about four feet of water and large rocks.

Dewey suffered a hard blow to the face but suffered no broken bones. According to Dewey, the airbags deployed and probably saved their lives. Nathan and Leslie were airlifted to the hospital at Duke University in Durham. Nathan suffered two broken legs and Leslie had a broken leg and a badly bruised collarbone. Both were in surgery on Monday to repair the broken bones.

Leslie, who is about six weeks pregnant with the couple’s first child, is in a lot of pain because they cannot give her strong medication due to her pregnancy. Although it is too early to tell for certain, Dewey said that Leslie may be released later in the week but he had not been able to see Nathan since they arrived at the hospital. It is not known when he might be released but both seem to be doing as well as could be expected.

Nathan’s mother Tonya and her husband Jason Armes are with Nathan at the hospital. Anyone wanting to send a card can do so at the following addresses:

According to police reports, the driver of the Camaro, Alejandro Sosa was charged with felony hit and run, DWI (blood alcohol level of 0.14%), speeding and careless and reckless driving.

Please keep Dewey, Leslie and Nathan in your thoughts and prayers.