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Country Blues/Hustling Gamblers
Old-Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown and Song. USA; Western North Carolina, Southwestern Virginia, Eastern Tennessee.
ARTIST: From Dock Boggs recording of ‘Country Blues” on Brunswick 131 in 1927 with “Sammie, Where Have You Been So Long?” on the other side;
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Late 1800’s;
RECORDING INFO: The Country Blues: Andrews, Ray. Fox Hollow 1972 - Vol VII, Fox Hollow RI-3856, LP (1972), cut#B.02; Boggs, Dock. Anthology of American Folk Music, Smithsonian/Folkways SFW 40090, CD( (1997), cut# 73; Boggs, Dock. Legendary Dock Boggs, Verve/Folkways FV 9025, LP (197?), cut# 2; Boggs, Dock. Country Blues, Revenant 205, CD (1997), cut# 3; Hesperus. Crossing Over, Greenhays GR 718, LP (1988), cut# 4a; Hotmud Family. Meat and Potatoes and Stuff Like That, Flying Fish FF 251, LP (1981), cut#B.04a; Hutton, Bruce. Old-Time Music - It's All Around, Folkways FA 2402, LP (1978), cut# 8; Naiman, Arnie; and Chris Coole. 5 Strings Attached with No Backing, Merriweather, CD (1997), cut# 8; New Lost City Ramblers. New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 5, Folkways FA 2395, LP (1963), cut# 4; Rosenbaum, Art (Arthur). Art of the Mountain Banjo, Kicking Mule KM 203, LP (1975), cut#2.04; Stecher, Jody; and Kate Brislin. Blue Lightning, Rounder 0284-C, Cas (1991), cut# 7; Watson, Doc. Doc Watson, Vanguard VSD-79152, LP (1964), cut#A.04; Watson, Doc. Essential Doc Watson, Vanguard VCD 45/46, CD (1986), cut#16; False Hearted Lover's Blues by Myer, W. E, Boggs, Dock. Country Blues, Revenant 205, CD (1997), cut#12;
Traditional American Folk: as Country Blues (Doc Watson (SGH 3759c; VG 45/46c, VG 155/8c, VG 79152c)); and a later version by Boggs (FW 2351c); as Darling Cora (Buell Kazee (BR 154b)); as Darling Corey (The Cowbell Hollow String Band (Skyline 002a); Buell Kazee (FW 3810c); Bradley Kincaid (Bluebonnet 129d); Pleaz Mobey (LC AFSL14a); B.F. Shelton (CTY 3505c); Doug and Jack Wallin (SF Folkways 40013c); The Watson Family (SF 40012c); Doc Watson (UA 601a); The Wilcox Three (CAM 669a); Nimrod Workman (RND 0076a)); as Little Corey (Jean Ritchie (ELK 2a)).
Folksong revival: as Darling Corey (June Bugg (Palace 757a); Burl Ives (COL 6058a, COL 6109a); Holly Near and Ronnie Gibert (Redwood 410a); Pete Seeger (SF 40018c, COL 9416a); The Weavers (VG 15/16c, VG 147/50c; VG 73101c); Wild Mountain Thyme (RST 103a)).
Country/String Band: as Country Blues (Hot Mud Family (FF 251a check); Bruce Hutton (FW 2402c); The New Lost City Ramblers (FF 102a, FW 2395c)); as Darling Corey (Roscoe Holcomb (FW 2374c); as Dig a Hole (The Maddox Brothers and Rose (COL 39997a)).
Bluegrass: as Country Blues (Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin (RND 0284c)); as Darling Corey (Bill Clifton (RND 1021c); Country Gazette (FF 295a); Flatt and Scruggs (COL 2045a); Grass Section (Red Clay 111a); The Kentucky Ramblers (JA 0071a); The McPeak Brothers (RCA 0587a); The Monroe Brothers (RCA 5510a, RCA 507a); Bill Monroe (MCA 11048c); The Seldom Scene (REB 1511c, REB 1101c); Earl Taylor (RR 188a)); as Darling Corey is Gone (Bill Keith and Jim Rooney (WTR 004a)); as Dig a Hole in the Meadow (Red Allen (FW 31088c); Lester Flatt (RCA 0588a); Flatt and Scruggs (COL 8845a); The Kentucky Ramblers (TQ 5052c); The Lilly Brothers (RND SS02a); Bob Paisley and the Southern Grass (Brandywine 1002a); The Pocono Mountain Boys (Upstart 1002a); The Seldom Scene (REB 1101c, REB 1511a); Larry Stephenson (Webco 0141c)); as Poor Rambler (Dave Evans and River Bend (REB 1616d); Ralph Stanley (REB 1109c, REB 1562a, KING 1028a); The Tug River Boys (OH 80067a); The Virginia Mountain Boys (FW 3833c)).
Rock: as Dig a Hole (The Blood Oranges (ESD 80472c)).
British: as Country Blues (John Renbourn (REP 2082a)).
RELATED TO: ”Darlin’ Corey,”“Dig a Hole in the Meadow,” “Darlin’ Cora,” “Little Lulie” “Darling Cora;” “Corey, Corey;” “Dig a Hole;” “Little Maggie;” “East Virginia Blues;” Ain't Going to Work Tomorrow; Dig A Hole in the Meadow; Cora Allen; Drowsy Sleeper/Sleepers; Come All You Roving Gamblers; Poor Rambler
OTHER NAMES: “False Hearted Lover's Blues” “Hustling Gamblers”
SOURCES: Country Blues- Anthology of American Folk Music, Oak, Sof (1973), p 90; Lomax-FSUSA 87, "Darlin' Corey" (1 text, 1 tune); Lomax-FSNA 135, "Dig a Hole in the Meadow" (1 text, 1 tune); Arnett, p. 173, "Darlin' Corrie" (1 text, 1 tune); Botkin-SoFolklr, p. 734, "Darling Cory" (1 text, 1 tune); PSeeger-AFB, p. 73, "Darlin' Corey" (1 text, 1 tune); Silber-FSWB, p. 193, "Darlin' Corey" (1 text); Kretzner, Leo. Dulcimer Player News, Dulcimer Player News DPN, Ser (1973-), 10/2, p30; Shelton, B. F.. How to Play the Five String Banjo, Seeger, sof (1962), p22; Weavers. Weavers' Song Book, Harper & Row, Sof (1960), p 21;
NOTES: A Mixolydian, one part; “Country Blues/Hustling Gamblers” is part of a family of “white blues” songs that include “Darlin’ Corey” and “Little Maggie,”and “East Virginia Blues” which were found in the Appalachian region in the late 1800’s.
Dock Boggs recording of "Country Blues” was issued as Brunswick 131 in 1927 with “Sammie, Where Have You Been So Long?” on the other side. Homer Crawford, the itinerant photographer and musician from Tennessee, taught the song to Dock as Hustling Gamblers, probably around 1914. Dock added verses of his own both for this recording and later, in 1963, when he recorded it again on Folkways FA 2351. Hustling Gamblers and Darling Cory (or Corey) belong to the same lyric and tune family, one that has been around in the Southern mountains for over a century. The family of tunes probably originates late in the 19th century and belongs to the then developing tradition of white blues ballads. Dock's tune differs from the common versions.
“Little Maggie” was recorded by the Stanley Brothers in 1946, when their music was more old-time than bluegrass in style. Mt. Airy, North Carolina, fiddler Tommy Jarrell remembered the tune "going around" the Round Peak area (where he grew up) around 1915 or 1916, and became quite popular with the younger folk.
The song appears to have been played in neighboring Grayson County, Virginia, a generation earlier, according to Richard Nevins, which points out how isolated the mountainous regions were around the turn of the century.
Here are the lyrics to “Country Blues” from Dock Boggs:
Come all you good time people,
While I've got money to spend;
Tomorrow might be Monday,
And I'll neither have a dollar nor a friend.
When I had plenty of money, good people,
My friends were all standing around;
Just as soon as my pocketbook was empty,
Not a friend on earth to be found.
Last time I seen my little woman, good people,
She had a wine glass in her hand;
She was drinking down her troubles
With a low-down, sorry man.
Oh my daddy taught me a-plenty, good people;
My mama she taught me more.
If I didn't quit my rowdy ways,
Have trouble at my door.
I wrote my woman a letter, good people
I told her I's in jail;
She wrote me back an answer
Saying, "Honey I'm a-coming to go your bail."
All around this old jailhouse is ha'nted, good people,
Forty dollars won't pay my fine;
Corn whiskey has surrounded my body, poor boy,
Pretty women is a-troubling my mind.
Give me corn bread when I'm hungry, good people,
Corn whiskey when I'm dry;
Pretty women a-standing around me,
Sweet heaven when I die.
If I'd a-listened to my mama, good people,
I wouldn't have been here today;
But a-drinking and a-shooting and a-gambling,
At home I cannot stay
Go dig a hole in the meadow, good people,
Go dig a hole in the ground;,
Come around all you good people,
And see this poor rounder go down.
When I am dead and buried,
My pale face turned to the sun,
You can come around and mourn, little woman,
And think the way you have done.
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