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Darling Cory/Darlin’ Corey
Painting of Darlin' Cory by Richard Matteson
Old-Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown and Song. USA; Western North Carolina, Southwestern Virginia, Eastern Tennessee.
ARTIST: From Flatt and Scruggs; Flatt and Scruggs (COL 8845a)
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Late 1800’s;
RECORDING INFO: B.F Shelton recorded "Darling Cora" in 1927. {Available as B.F. Shelton, Darling Cora, 1927 ("Music of Kentucky Vol 1";"Old Time Mountain Ballads"). B. F. Shelton, "Darling Cora" (Victor 35838, 1927); Jack Wallin, "Darling Cora" (on Wallins1) Roscoe Holcomb, "Darlin Corey" (on Holcomb2, HolcombCD1); Monroe Brothers, "Darling Corey" (BB 6512); Pleaz Mobley, "Darling Cory" (AFS; on LC14); Pete Seeger, "Darling Corey" (on PeteSeeger02, PeteSeegerCD01); Brothers Four. Big Folk Hits, Columbia CS 8833, LP (1963), cut#B.02; Clemmens, Ginni. Long Time Friends, Open Door, LP (1976), cut#B.01; Clifton, Bill; and the Dixie Mountain Boys. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues, County 740, LP (1973), cut# 7; Dickel Brothers. Dickel Brothers Volume Two, Empty Records MTR 383, LP (2000), cut#B.01 (Little Lulie); Farina, Richard. Dick Farina & Eric Von Schmidt, Folklore F-Leut/7, LP (1963), cut#A.04c; Farina, Richard and Mimi. Celebrations for a Grey Day, Vanguard VSD 79174, LP (196?), cut# 13f (Celebrations for a Grey Day); Forbes, Walter. Folk Song Festival, RCA (Victor) LSP-2670, LP (1963), cut#A.0; Holcomb, Roscoe. High Lonesome Sound, Smithsonian SF 40104, CD (1998), cut#18; Ives, Burl. Wayfaring Stranger, Columbia CS 9041, LP (196?), cut#A.08; Justice, Dick. Home in West Virginia: West Virginia Project, Vol. 2, Old Homestead OHCS 177, LP (1987), cut# 4 (Little Lulie); Kingston Trio. At Large, Capitol T 1199, LP (1959), A.04 (Corey, Corey); Levenson, Dan. Light of the Moon, Buzzard 2001, CD (1997), cut#12; Mabus, Joel. Clawhammer, Fossil, Cas (198?), cut# 11; May, William. Folksongs and Ballads, Vol 4, Augusta Heritage AHR 010, Cas (1992), cut#B.01; McCurdy, Ed. Blood, Booze 'n Bones, Elektra EKL-108, LP (1956), cut#A.01; Monroe Brothers. Smokey Mountain Ballads, RCA (Victor) LPV-507, LP (1964), cut# 9; Monroe Brothers. Feast Here Tonight, Bluebird AXM2-5510, LP (1975), cut# 13; Pickin' Around the Cookstove. Pickin' Around the Cookstove, Rounder 0040, LP (1975), cut# 11; Seeger, Pete. Folk Box, Elektra EKL-9001, LP (1964), cut# 15; Seeger, Pete. Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits, Columbia CS 9416, LP (197?), cut#B.06; Stamper, I.D.. Red Wing, June Appal JA 0010, LP (1977), cut# 1; Stanley, Peter. At the Sidekick, Talkeetna 25003, CD (1999), cut#18; The Group. 'The Group' Visits Puget Sound, Golden Crest CR 3056, LP (196?), cut#A.05; Travellers. Journey with the Travellers, Kapp KL 1167, LP (196?), cut#B.06; Wayfarers. Wayfarers at the hungry i, RCA (Victor) LPM, LP (1963), cut#A.05; Weavers. Weavers at Carnegie Hall, Vanguard VRS 9010, LP (195?), cut#A.01; Weavers. Weavers Together Again, Loom Records 1681, LP (1981), A.01; Wetteland, Chris. Second Annual Willamette Valley Folk Festival, Cultural Forum, LP (1972), cut#A.03; Workman, Nimrod. Mother Jones' Will, Rounder 0076, LP (1978), cut# 18;
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: “Little Maggie;” “Hustling Gamblers/Country Blues,” “East Virginia Blues” Country Blues; Ain't Going to Work Tomorrow; Dig A Hole in the Meadow; Cora Allen; Drowsy Sleeper/Sleepers ; Come All You Roving Gamblers;
OTHER NAMES: “Dig a Hole in the Meadow” “Darlin’ Cora,” “Little Lulie”
SOURCES: 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; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
NOTES: A Mixolydian, one part; (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc). “Darling Cory/Corey” is part of a family of “white blues” songs that include “Country Blues/Husling Gamblers” and “Little Maggie” which were found in the Appalachian region in the late 1800’s.
“It seems that “Darling Corey” dates from the late 19th century. It shares words with 'Country Blues' as well as “Little Maggie”. Dock Boggs recorded 'Country Blues' in 1927 and had learned it from Homer Crawford of Tennessee probably about 1914 under the title 'Hustling Gamblers'. Boggs added verses of his own. In his notes to the Revenant reissue of Boggs' complete early recordings, Barry O'Connell suggests that this 'lyric and tune family' (Hustling Gamblers, Darling Corey, Country Blues etc)'has been around in the southern mountains for over a century'. He went on to say: 'The family of tunes probably originates late in the 19th century and belongs to the then developing tradition of white blues ballads'.” (Stewie)
“Listening to the Shelton version (of “Darling Cory”) again, it is interesting that, early in the song, 'highway robbers' are coming to 'tear the stillhouse down' - 'revenue officers' only make an appearance later in the narrative. 'Highway robbers' seems more of an English than an American idiom - another instance of an English survival in a mountain song? If so, that may be another reason for believing it is quite old.” (Stewie)
“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. (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
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 “Darlin’ Cory” from Flatt and Scruggs:
Wake up wake up darlin' Corey
What makes you sleep so sound
The revenue officers are comin'
They're gonna tear your still-house down
Well the first time I seen darlin' Corey
She was sittin' on the banks of the sea
Had a forty-four around her body
And a banjo on her knee
Go away go away darlin' Corey
Quit hangin' around my bed
Your liquor has ruined my body
Pretty women gone to my head
Dig a hole dig a hole in the meadow
Dig a hole in the cold cold ground
Dig a hole dig a hole in the meadow
Gonna lay darlin' Corey down
Can't you hear those bluebirds a singin'
Don't you hear that mournful sound
They're preaching darlin' Corey's funeral
In some lonesome graveyard ground
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