CMT News

Bluegrass musician and vocalist Ernie Thacker remains in serious condition at a hospital near his home in Clinchco, Va., after sustaining multiple injuries in an April 18 traffic accident. Thacker joined Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys in 1989 as a mandolin player and later served as lead vocalist and guitarist during his six-year stint with the band. He appeared on several of Stanley's albums, including The Stanley Tradition and The Stanley Gospel Tradition. In recent years, Thacker has recorded and toured with his own band, Route 23. A trust fund has been established to help defray medical costs: Ernie Thacker Fund, New Peoples Bank, P.O. Box 1053, Grundy, Va. 24614.