bluegrass/old time murder ballads

[Steve VandeWater]

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I just didn't know where else to fit it in.
As to the title, I have always been fascinated by this genre. Even though the lyrics are grisly or disturbing, the tunes are often quite beautiful. They are also usually fairly simple and catchy. In no other type of music have I run across so many songs about a guy murdering his girlfriend (or vice versa). Often, the song gives no explanation as to WHY he did it. Most times though, it seems to be because she got pregnant and he didn't want to marry her.
A partial list that I can think of offhand are:
Omie Wise
Little Sadie
Down in the Willow Garden
Banks of the Ohio
Pretty Polly
Frankie and Johnny (the one where she pulls a 44 from beneath her silk kimono)
Cocaine Blues
Tom Dooley

Can you think of others?

[Kowboy]

I'll just mention, that when I started playing / singing, "Banks of The OHIO", my grandsons thought it a little weird. They just asked me why. My wife got the tune stuck in her head and would catch herself humming it. I let her know that I have a tune bouncing around in my brain most of the time. Now she knows how it feels.

[FLATROCK HILL]

If you're looking for Bluegrass only...you need to include 'Little Glass of Wine' on your list.
I like Johnny Cash's 'Delia's Gone'. Not bluegrass though. And if you open the 'Johnny Cash' box, the list will never end.

[Homer Savard]

Nashville BG band did The Blackbirds and The Crows, great modern version of the theme...

[Paul Hird]

Out of all those you listed, Doc Watsons "Omie Wise" is my favorite.

[Charley wild]

Poor Ellen Smith.........Knoxville Girl.

[JeffD]

Wexford Girl, Oh the Wind and Rain.

[jaycat]

My favorite "murder ballad" -- no bluegrass content!

[SincereCorgi]

'Good-Bye Brownie' by Roy Acuff. Also the first side of the Harry Smith anthology has some great old ones, 'Henry Lee' and 'Fatal Flower Garden' and so forth.

[allenhopkins]

Tons of 'em.

Some of the ones I've performed (not all bluegrass), not mentioned above, include:

Wild Bill Jones
Lily Of the West
Step It Out Nancy (Robin & Linda Williams)
Otto Wood the Bandit
My Name Is Charles Guiteau
Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender
Willie Moore (don't know if there's actual murder, but surely a death)
Duncan and Brady
John Hardy
Railroad Bill
Leaving Home (which is Charlie Poole's version of Frankie & Johnny)
Reuben's Train (with the "took my razor blade, put ol' Reuben in the shade" verse)

Gillian Welch's Caleb Mayer is a recent favorite -- woman kills her rapist, then fears his ghost. Frankie Silver is another old-time one, supposedly sung by Ms. Silver, first woman hanged for murder in North Carolina; describes how she killed her husband. Murder of the Lawson Family was sung by the Stanley Brothers and Doc Watson. And there's Dylan's Ballad of Hollis Brown.

I once co-led a workshop called The Fatal Wedding in which we did as many songs as we could dig up, that featured weddings, near-weddings, etc. where someone died or was murdered. You can start with Froggy Went A-Courting and go from there.

[Steve Lavelle]

Has anyone done a blugrass version of Springsteen's Nebraska?

[Toni Schula]

"If the girl isn't dead by the third verse, it ain't Bluegrass."

From http://bluegrassnation.org

Unfortunately the link to the Aussies on the BG nation appears to be dead. They had a very funny explanation of difference between Old Time, Bluegrass and Celtic with its own chapter about criminal content in these genres.

Edit: i just saw that the entire National Folk Festival article is on the bluegrassnation web page.

[JeffD]

With the proliferation of these songs throughout the world, it is amazing a fellow named Willie can still get a date.

She fell down on her bended knees
For mercy she did cry
Oh, Willie dear, don't kill me here
I'm unprepared to die

[Steve VandeWater]

Yes, Willie is very often the culprit. A couple more good songs featuring infidelity and death are Long Black Veil, House Carpenter, and Mary Danced with Soldiers (sung by Emmylou Harris).

[Steve Ostrander]

Leadbelly--"Louis Collins "
Steve Earle--"Carrie Brown"

[JeffD]

I used to look at accident and fatality reports as part of a job I had. I warned people, do not take out vehicle #2. It's just not safe.

[twilson]

Or, if double suicides are of interest, Katy Dear is a great song. Originally Blue Sky Boys but the Country Gentleman recorded it in the late 60s.

Tim Wilson

[JeffD]

Katy Dear, what a great one. Suicide, Willy, and a silver dagger. Oh my. I like the Blue Sky Boys version, but my favorite is the Louvin Brothers. A real good second is Gillian Welch.

You just can't keep a good song down.

[tiltman]

...and the Seldom Scene recently recorded Katy Dear as well. Mighty fine version.

Kirk

[pit lenz]

Sam Bush`s Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle can be found on his CD "Circles around me"

[rfloyd]

Did anyone mention "If It Hadn't Been for Love" by The Steeldrivers? I think I got the title correct. That song was covered by Adele, the big time British pop singer.

I saw the Steeldrivers in Denver a while back, and they commented that members of their Southern-accented audiences sometimes request this great song by calling out "play that A-dele song" (emphasis on the first syllable). Some of ya'll know what I'm talkin' bout. BTW, I don't mean to seem like a snob; I grew up in Texas and talk that way myself on occasion, and used to talk that way all the time.

[Frank Russell]

I'd add "Dreadful Wind and Rain," known by several other names, to this list. At least the murder victim gets recycled into instrument parts, so a fairly "green" number. Frank

[OldSausage]

Cold Rain And Snow



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p0AryAE6Bw

[Fretbear]

Rain and Snow (Sausage's post beat me to it)

[KGreene]

Long Black Veil, and any of Bill Monroe's spooky instrumentals that some murderous lyrics could be added to.