Alouette....Alouette,.....(c'est méchant)
Ernie Thacker makes peace with "Hangman"
By John Walker, January 2009
Once standing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry as a rising star as the lead singer for Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, bluegrass guitarist Ernie Thacker now struggles from his wheelchair on a daily basis.
A car accident near his home in 2006 left him paralyzed from the waist down. His survival was called a medical miracle, after suffering 12 broken ribs, a broken collar bone, ruptured spleen and a crushed aorta. Since the accident, he has battled several infection setbacks and continues to rehab each day. His largest obstacle to overcome musically has been the loss of half a lung. However, he was not deterred from completing his debut record for Pinecastle Records, "Hangman," set for release in February. "I have had to learn how to sing all over," says Thacker from his Clinchco, Va. home. "What I used to do in one breath now takes two or three. It has been very hard, but I think it is getting better. It just takes time."
Thacker put the finishing touches on "Hangman" after returning home from the hospital. "We had everything done except for the mix prior to the accident. It took a couple of weeks to complete. I recorded this on my own and pitched it to different labels. I was very pleased Pinecastle picked it up. I have always looked at them as very respectful to bluegrass music, and that was exactly what I was wanting."
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=S7mxglNpOzU