The well-known ballad “The Sinking of the Titanic,” which dates back to the early 1920s, was first recorded by Stoneman’s father.
Since she was a little child, her mother Hattie’s fiddle played music in the home.
By the mid-1950s, when Hattie and Pop were playing with their own kids, they had become well-known after making several TV program appearances.
The family had a TV show called “Those Stonesmans” in the late 1960s. 1967 saw them win CMA Vocal Group of the Year.
Roni Stoneman became well-known in the 1970s when she joined the cast of Hee Haw, following the death of her father in 1968.
Stoneman earned the moniker “The First Lady of the Banjo” for her comedy skills and her gap-toothed smile on the show.
She spent the whole 1980s performing with her sister Donna.
As a result, Donna earned the nickname “The First Lady of the Mandolin.”
A newsletter called Banjo states that the brother and sister team’s most recent performance took place in 2020.
Donna, Stoneman’s sister, will be sadly missed.