In the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where bluegrass echoes through the hollers, Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys unleash their electrifying new single, “Polly’s Revenge,” available today on all streaming platforms and premiering live at the Ralph Stanley Hills of Home Festival. This bold reimagining of the chilling traditional ballad “Pretty Polly” transforms a century-old tale of betrayal into a saga of empowerment and redemption.
Drawing on the Appalachian storytelling tradition pioneered by his father, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Ralph Stanley II leads the band through haunting melodies and razor-sharp harmonies. In “Polly’s Revenge,” songwriter David Carroll shifts the narrative: Polly rises from her tragic end as a spectral force seeking justice. Ralph II’s soulful vocal delivery, intertwined with Curtis Coleman’s driving banjo, Stanley Efaw’s mournful fiddle and mandolin, Alex Leach’s rhythmic guitar and baritone-tenor blend, and Randall Hibbitts’s steady upright bass, creates a sound that is at once timeless and urgently modern.
“Dad always told stories through song, and Polly’s Revenge carries that torch,” says Ralph Stanley II. “This is Polly’s story reclaimed—her strength, her fire. It’s what bluegrass does best: keeping the past alive while speaking to today.”
The single was produced by Ralph Stanley II alongside Kristi Stanley and Bobby Starnes at Hat Creek Recording Company, with engineering and mixing by Jim Price. Grammy-nominated special guest Wyatt Ellis adds mandolin on the haunting album track “Where the Dim Lights Are the Dimmest.” The evocative album artwork is by Teresa Ellis and Kristi Stanley.
About Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys
Carrying on a 79-year family legacy, Ralph Stanley II has earned multiple #1 hits and Grammy nominations while captivating audiences worldwide. With The Clinch Mountain Boys—Stanley Efaw (fiddle, mandolin, baritone vocals), Randall Hibbitts (upright bass, vocals), Curtis Coleman (banjo), Alex Leach (guitar, tenor vocals), and special guests—the band blends authentic bluegrass tradition with contemporary fire. Experience “Polly’s Revenge” live and celebrate the past, present, and future of mountain music at the Hills of Home Festival (May 22–26, 2025) in McClure, VA. Visit https://drralphstanleyfestival.com for tickets and festival information.
