James King

l. to r.: Donald Dowdy, James King, Eddie Biggerstaff,
Clay Lillard

During the mid-1980s, James King performed with Ralph Stanley, his musical idol, filling in when Ralph's lead singers couldn't make a show or a tour. Then, in 1988, King formed his own band, and he's been leading a band pretty much ever since.

But he has never forgotten that Stanley influence. The current edition of the James King Band is pictured here at Bradley's Barn, the now-abandoned studio founded by producers Owen and Harold Bradley where greats like Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers recorded some legendary songs in the early 1950s.

"I never thought I'd ever be in this studio," King says. "When I found out about it, I got cold chills ... hoping that Carter would say something to me."