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East Virginia Blues

Composer: Traditional

Weir/Robinson/Greene Trio

info May 25, 2012, Summercamp Festival, Chillicothe, IL, 2012
info May 27, 2012, Bella Music Fest, Geneva, MN, 2012
info May 30, 2012, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 2012
info June 2, 2012, Boulder Theatre, Boulder, CO, 2012

Recordings

East Virginia Blues
no info Ashley and Foster, 193?
no info Carter Family, 193?
info Anthology Of American Folk Music, Vol. 3: Songs, Various Artists (Buell Kazee), 1952
info The New Lost City Ramblers, The New Lost City Ramblers, 1958
info The Newport Folk Festival: 1960, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Pete Seeger), 1960
no info Mountain Music Of Kentucky, Various Artists (Roscoe Holcomb), 1960
info Long Journey Home, The Stanley Brothers, 1961
no info EP, Rusty York and the Kentucky Mountain Boys, 1961
info Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 1961
no info The Swinging 12 String, Glen Campbell / Leon Russell, 1963
info This Life I'm Living, Carolyn Hester, 1963
info Hootenanny: A Bluegrass Special, The Country Gentlemen, 1963
info Bluegrass Country, The Country Gentlemen, 1963
no info Smokey Mountain Ballads, The Carter Family, 1964
info Allen-Ward Trio, Allen-Ward Trio, 1965
info Old Time Music, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, 1968
info Bluegrass Alliance, Bluegrass Alliance, 1969
no info Single (East Virginia Blues / Cacklin' Hen), Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, 1969
no info Earl Scruggs Performing With His Friends and Family, Earl Scruggs, 1971
no info 419 West Main, Red Cravens and The Bray Brothers, 1972
info Greatest Folksingers of 60s, Various Artists (Pete Seeger), 1972
info Yesterday & Today, Vol. 2, The Country Gentlemen, 1973
no info Holiday in Japan, J. D Crowe and the New South, 1975
info Live In Japan, Country Gentlemen, 1975
info Live At McClure, Ralph Stanley & Guests, 1976
info New South Live, J.D. Crowe & The New South, 1976?
info Holiday In Japan, J.D. Crowe & The New South, 1976?
no info Hard Travellin', Ramblin' Jack Elliot, 1977
info Live!, Country Store, 1977
no info Essential, Pete Seeger, 1978
no info Live, Ralph Stanley, 1992
no info Darling Corey/Goofing Off Suite, Pete Seeger, 1993
info Third Annual Farewell Reunion, Mike Seeger, 1994
info 1971-1973, Ralph Stanley And The Clinch Mountain Boys, 1995
info Stanley Series, Vol. 3 #4, Stanley Brothers, 1996
info Mountain Music of Kentucky (CD), Various Artists (Roscoe Holcomb), 1996
info The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute, Various Artists (Roger McGuinn/Jeff Tweedy/Jay Bennett), 1998
no info Single, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, 19??
no info The Legendary Carter Family, Carter Family, 19??
no info Collection of Mountain Ballads, Various Artists (Clarence Ashley), 19??
no info The Original Carter Family From 1936 - Radio Transcripts, The Carter Family, 19??
no info Single, Grass Strings, 19??
no info Single, John Miracle, Virgil Joseph and the Tennessee Boys, 19??
no info Single, Virginia Mountain Boys, 19??
info In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain, The Carter Family, 2000
info 40 Years of Concert Performances, New Lost City Ramblers, 2001
info The Carter Family: 1927-1934, The Carter Family, 2002
info My Mother's Voice, Kathy Kallick, 2002
info Public Domain: Songs from the Wild Land, Dave Alvin, 2002
info Gold Rush at Copper Creek, Various Artists (Kathy Kallick), 2002
info 25 Bluegrass Classics: Vintage 60's: Songs of Rural America, Various Artists (Ernie & Mack), 2002
info The Carter Family: 1935-1941, The Carter Family, 2003
info American Folk and Country Music Festival, Various Artists (Roscoe Holcomb), 2003
info An Evening Long Ago: Live 1956, The Stanley Brothers, 2004
info Buffalo Skinners, Rob McNurlin, 2004
info When the Sun Goes Down, Vol. 10: East Virginia Blues, Various Artists (Carter Family), 2004
info Mountain Blues: Blues, Ballads & String Bands 1927-1938, Various Artists (Clarence Ashley), 2005
info Friends of Old Time Music: The Folk Arrival, Various Artists (Roscoe Holcomb), 2006
info The Definitive Collection 1947-1966, The Stanley Brothers, 2007
info Bluegrass in the Smokies, Various Artists (Jim Greer), 2007
info Flatpicking Bluegrass, Various Artists (John Chapman), 2009
info Del and Dawg: Live!, Del McCoury and David Grisman, 2016

East Virginia
info Darling Corey, Pete Seeger, 1950
no info Anthology of American Folk Music, Various Artists (Buell Kazee), 1952
no info Kentucky Folk Songs and Ballads, Logan English, 1957
info Banjo Tunes and Songs, Pete Steele, 1958
no info Buell Kazee Sings and Plays, Buell Kazee, 1958
no info Mickey Miller Sings American Folk Songs, Mickey Miller, 1959
no info Cisco Houston Sings Songs of the Open Road, Cisco Houston, 1960
info Joan Baez, Joan Baez, 1960
no info World Tour with Folk Songs, Addiss and Crofut, 1962
info This Life I'm Living, Carolyn Hester, 1963
no info American Folk Ballads, Betty Garland, 1964
info Let's Sing Out, Various Artists (The Halifax Three), 1964
info The Best Of Jean Ritchie, Jean Ritchie, 196?
info The Joan Baez Ballad Book, Joan Baez, 1972
info Greatest Folksingers of 60s, Various Artists (Joan Baez), 1972
info Walkin' in the Parlor: Old Time Music of the Southern Mountains, Iron Mountain String Band, 1975
no info Mandolin Instruction: Old Time, Country and Fiddle Tunes, Michael Holmes, 1977
info The Songbook, Joan Baez, 1977
info Pick And Choose, Steven O. Hanson, 1978
info Virginia Mountain Boys, Vol. 4, Cullen Galyean, Bobby Harrison and the Virginia Mountain Boys, 1983
info Banjo Pickin' Girl, Lily May Ledford, 1983
info Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson At Folk City, Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson, 1990 (CD bonus track)
no info Diamonds - Best of the Vanguard Years, Joan Baez, 1991
no info Darling Corey/Goofing Off Suite, Pete Seeger, 1993
info Dear Companion, Carolyn Hester, 1995
info The Amazing Charlatans, The Charlatans, 1996
info An American Folk Song Anthology, John Stewart, 1996
info American Journey, John Stewart, 1996
info Try Me One More Time, David Bromberg, 2007
info Mountain Frolic: Rare Old Timey Classics 1924-37, Various Artists (Buell Kazee), 2008
info Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions, Robert Earl Keen, 2015

Notes

Played by Bob & Jerry (Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia) at a private function in May 1961.

Played by an unnamed bluegrass band with Garcia on banjo at an unknown venue in Burlingame in January 1962.

On the Burlingame tape this song is usually listed as Greenback Dollar but the song performed at the show is East Virginia Blues. Greenback Dollar is a more recent song derived from the East Virginia Blues/Dark Holler family that uses the "I don't want the greenback dollar" line . The song also occurs on other recordings as just East Virginia.

The lyrics from the Burlingame 1962 tape are as follows;

I was born in East Virginia,
North Carolina I did go,
There I met the fairest maiden,
Her name and age I did not know.

Well her hair was dark in color,
And her cheeks were rosy red,
On her breast she wore a white lily,
Where I longed to lay my head.

I don't want the greenback dollar,
I don't want the big gold chain,
All I want is your love darling,
Won't you please come back again.

I wish I was in some dark holler,
Where the sun would never shine,
Than for you to be in some man's arms,
And to know you'll never be mine.