Grateful Dead Family Discography: Tom Dooley

Tom Dooley

Composer: Traditional / Thomas Land

Tom Dooley was performed by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart (billed as Bob Weir & Friends) at the 11/17/78 Chicago acoustic show prior to an evening Grateful Dead show. The song was also played by Phil Lesh & Friends.

The song is based on a true event - the murder of Laura Foster by Tom Dula in 1866. Shortly afterwards a local poet, Thomas Land, wrote a song or poem about the event. I might be wrong but there appears to be no extant copy of this original song. There is then a blank period in the history of the song until it was first recorded by Grayson and Whitter in 1929. It was next recorded by Frank Warner in the early 1950s. Warner had learned the song in person from Frank Proffitt. A few folk versions were recorded through the 1950s before the Kingston Trio's 1958 recording which was a chart topping hit.

On recordings the song is often credited as Tradional.

Grateful Dead recordings

Beyond Description, Grateful Dead, 2004
Reckoning, Grateful Dead, 2006 (bonus on exp. CD)
Complete Live Rarities Collection, Grateful Dead, 2013

Other recordings

This list is not intended to be comprehensive.

no info Single (On The Banks Of The Old Tennessee / Tom Dooley), Grayson and Whitter, 1929?
Sings American Folk Songs and Ballads, Frank Warner, 1952
no info Folksay: American Ballads And Dances Volume 2, Various Artists (Bob Carey/Erik Darling/Roger Sprung), 1954
Bloody Ballads, Paul Clayton, 1956
no info The Tarriers, The Tarriers, 1956
no info Single (Tom Dooley / Everybody Loves Saturday Night), The Tarriers, 1957
no info The 2.19 Skiffle Group EP, The 2.19 Skiffle Group, 1957
no info Single (In The Valley / Tom Dooley), The 2.19 Skiffle Group, 1957
no info Kingston Trio, Kingston Trio, 1958
no info Single (Tom Dooley / Ruby Red), Kingston Trio, 1958
no info Single (Tom Dooley / Rock O' My Soul), Lonnie Donegan And His Skiffle Group, 1958
no info Single ((It Looks Like Rain In) Cherry Blossom Lane / Tom Dooley), Rikki Price, 1958
no info Single (Tom Dooley / The Velvet Glove (The Pinky & Perky Theme)), Pinky & Perky, 1958
no info Tom Dooley EP, The Kingston Trio, 1959
no info The Tijuana Jail EP, The Kingston Trio, 1959
New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 2, New Lost City Ramblers, 1959
no info More Songs Of The Fabulous Fifties, Roger Williams, 1959
no info Lonnie Donegan Hit Parade Vol. V EP, Lonnie Donegan And His Skiffle Group, 1959
no info Tops With Lonnie, Lonnie Donegan And His Skiffle Group, 1959
no info Thereby Hangs A Tale, Eddy Arnold, 1959
12 Great Hits, Mac Wiseman, 1960
no info Cool Cargo EP, The Kingston Trio, 1960
Folk Song Hall Of Fame, Hank Hill And The Tennessee Folk Trio, 1960
no info Les Baxter's Young Pops, Les Baxter, 1960
no info Goodies But Gassers, Lee Castle and The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, 1960
Sing Songs Of The New Lost City Ramblers, Tom Paley, John Cohen, Mike Seeger, 1961
no info The Four Preps On Campus, The Four Preps, 1961
no info The Gaylords Sing American Hits In Italian, The Gaylords, 1961
no info Single (Tom Dooley / M.T.A.), The Kingston Trio, 1961
no info Let's Have A Blast With, The Gondoliers, 1961
no info The Greatest Folk Songs Ever Sung!!, The Wilcox Three, 1961
no info Stars In Our Eyes, The Four Freshmen, 1962
no info Tammy Grimes, Tammy Grimes, 1962
no info British And American Murder Ballads, Paul Clayton, 1962
no info Sing Everybody's Hits, Bud Dashiell & The Kinsmen, 1962
no info Spotlight On Burl Ives And The Folk Singers Three, 1962
Just Looking For A Home, Jim Glaser & Americana Folk Trio, 1962
no info Golden Folk Song Hits, The Johnny Mann Singers, 1962
no info The Sound Of A 5 String Banjo, Charles "Buck" Trent, 1962
Traditional Music from Grayson and Carroll Counties, Virginia, Various Artists (Glen Neaves and The Grayson County Boys), 1962
no info Frank Proffitt Of Reese, North Carolina, Frank Proffitt, 1962
The Best Of The Kingston Trio, The Kingston Trio, 1962
12 String Guitar, Billy Strange, 1963?
no info Jazz Impressions Of Folk Music, Harold Land Quintet, 1963
no info Oh, Happy Day, The Four Lads, 1963
no info Hootenanny My Way, Terry Gibbs, 1963
no info Folk Sounds, Eddie Layton, 1963
no info Run Come See, The Coventry Singers, 1963
no info Brazen Brass New Sounds In Folk Music, Henry Jerome And His Orchestra, 1963
Pickin' and Grinnin', Bluegrass Hillbillies (w/ Curtis McPeake), 1963
no info 12 String Guitar-Nanny, Bradley Wayne, 1963
Doc Watson, Doc Watson, 1964
no info Back in Town, The Kingston Trio, 1964
no info Plays & Sings, Trini Lopez, 1964
no info Johnny Rivers Rocks The Folk, Johnny Rivers, 1965
no info Authentic Bluegrass Music, The Rainbow Valley Boys & Sweetheart, 1965
no info Folk Barber Style, Chris Barber, 1965
no info 16 Big Folk Hits, Chas McDevitt & Shirley Douglas, 1965
Newport Folk Festival 1964: The Evening Concerts, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Frank Proffitt), 1965
no info North Carolina Songs and Ballads, Frank Proffitt, 1966
no info Mr. Mel, Mel Tillis, 1967
Raymond Fairchild & the Maggie Valley Boys, Raymond Fairchild & the Maggie Valley Boys, 1967
Country's Best on Record, Jim Ed Brown, 1968
no info The Sounds Of Adventure, Les Baxter, 1968
no info Folk Song Hall Of Fame, Hank Hill and The Tennessee Folk Trio, 196?
no info Tom Dooley / Scarlet Ribbons, Kingston Trio, 1970
no info The Bergerfolk, Vol. 1: Sing for Joy, The Bergerfolk, 1971
Going Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Country Gentlemen, 1973
The Essential Doc Watson, Doc Watson, 1973
Yesterday & Today, Vol. 1, The Country Gentlemen, 1973
no info Night Train To Memphis, Mel Tillis, 1974
no info 40 Golden Banjo Hits, Maurice Bolyer, 1974
no info Going Down Lee Highway, Grayson and Whitter, 1977
no info Greenfields & Other Gold, The Brothers Four, 1977
no info Aspen Gold, Kingston Trio, 1979
no info Songs Of The Smokey Mountains, Bill Owens and The Kinfolk, 197?
no info Comin' Round The Mountain, Henry Vanoy, 197?
no info Out In The Country, Doc Watson, 1982
no info Dixie Land For Me, David Vernon & the Dixie Rebels, 1982
no info We Came To Sing, Kingston Trio, 1984
no info The Legend of Tom Dula and Other Tragic Love Ballads, Sheila Clark, 1986
no info Oil Man, Big Jack Jones, 1987
no info Don Stover & Friends, Don Stover & Friends, 1989
no info Tom Dooley And Other Folksong Hits, Kingston Trio, 1989
Capitol Collectors Series, The Kingston Trio, 1990
Greatest Hits, The Kingston Trio, 1990
no info Cattle Call/Thereby Hangs a Tale, Eddy Arnold, 1990
no info O Death, Dwight Diller, 1992
no info The Greatest Popular Pianist / The Artist's Choice, Roger Williams, 1992
Capitol Records 50th Anniversary, Various Artists (Kingston Trio), 1992
Troubadours Of The Folk Era Vol. 3, Various Artists (Kingston Trio), 1992
Teenage Hangout, Mac Wiseman, 1993
Friend of Mine, Bill Morrissey & Greg Brown, 1993
no info Banjo Pickin' Girl, Lesley Schatz, 1993
Mountain Music Collection, Vol. 3: Pictures from Life's Other Side, Various Artists (Asa Martin), 1994
Folk Song America, Vol. 2, Various Artists (Kingston Trio), 1994
The Capitol Years, The Kingston Trio, 1995
Greatest Hits, The Kingston Trio, 1995
Railroad Man (comp), Billy Strange, 1995
no info Sing The Classics, The Statler Brothers, 1995
Johnny Rivers Rocks the Folk/Meanwhile Back at the Whisky A-Go-Go, Johnny Rivers, 1996
The Original, The Kingston Trio, 1996
no info Authentic Outlaw Ballads, Wayne Erbsen, 1996
Folk Music: All That's Folk, Various Artists (Kingston Trio), 1996
The Guard Years, The Kingston Trio, 1997
no info Hard Times, Rob Ickes, 1997
no info Judas Steer, Great Western Squares, 1997
Down the Road, Laura Boosinger, 1998
no info Songs from My Funeral, Snakefarm, 1998
Generations of Folk, Vol. 1: Festival of Folk, Various Artists (Kingston Trio), 1998
The Best of Doc Watson: 1964-1968, Doc Watson, 1999
The Recordings of Grayson & Whitter: 1928-1930, Grayson & Whitter, 1999
no info Scarecrow Stuffing, The Spectral Light And Moonshine Firefly Snakeoil Jamboree, 1999
no info An Evening With, Doc Watson And David Holt, 1999
no info Gibson Brothers, 19??
40 Most Popular American Folk Songs, Paul & Margie, 199?
Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, Vol. 2: 1928-1929, Grayson & Whitter / Robinette & Moore, 2000
no info Something Special/Back in Town, The Kingston Trio, 2000
no info Talking Guitar Blues: The Very Best Of, Lonnie Donegan, 2000
no info Two Classic Albums: On Campus / Campus Encore, The Four Preps, 2000
no info Two Classic Albums: Stars in Our Eyes / The Swingers, The Four Freshmen, 2000
Follow the Music, Various Artists (Frank Warner), 2000
no info Two Classic Albums: The Kingston Trio / ...From The "Hungry I", The Kingston Trio, 2001
The Executioner's Last Songs, The Pine Valley Cosmonauts w/ Steve Earle, 2002
no info Naked Banjos, Joe Bethancourt, 2002
no info 16 Super Hits, Nashville Guitars, 2002
no info 16 Super Hits, Nashville Dobros, 2002
no info Far In The Mountains Volumes 3 & 4, Various Artists (Doug & Berzilla Wallin), 2002
Vanguard: Roots of Folk, Various Artists (Doc Watson), 2002
The Folk Years: Yesterday's Gone, Various Artists (Kingston Trio), 2002
The Executioners Last Songs, Vol 2 & 3, The Pine Valley Cosmonauts, 2003
Live at Lock 3, Brick Road Ramblers, 2003
'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered: Complete Recordings 1951-1964, Mac Wiseman, 2003
Greatest Hits, The Kingston Trio, 2003
The Folk Years, Various Artists (Kingston Trio), 2003
El Paso, Andrew Heller, 2004
no info Tammy Grimes / The Unmistakable Tammy Grimes, Tammy Grimes, 2004
no info The Lost Topic Tapes: Cowes Harbour 1957, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 2004
Classic Folk Music from Smithsonian Folkways, Various Artists (New Lost City Ramblers), 2004
When the Sun Goes Down, Vol. 10: East Virginia Blues, Various Artists (Grayson and Whitter), 2004
Bluegrass Hits: Twenty Timeless Favorites from Yesterday and Today, Various Artists (Rob Ickes), 2005
no info Unbroken Tradition: Music From The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, Various Artists (Phil And Gaye Johnson), 2005
The Essential Kingston Trio, The Kingston Trio, 2006
no info Dona Got A Ramblin' Mind, Carolina Chocolate Drops, 2006
Appalachian Stomp Down, Various Artists (Grayson & Whitter), 2006
Nick, Bob & John: The Final Concert, The Kingston Trio, 2007
no info Transmissions, Paul's Big Radio, 2007
People Take Warning! Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938, Various Artists (Grayson & Whitter), 2007
Twice Upon a Time, The Kingston Trio, 2008
In the Pines: Tar Heel Folks Songs & Fiddle Tunes 1926-1936, Various Artists (Grayson & Whitter), 2008
no info Spirit Of America, Kingston Trio, 2011
no info Going Down Lee Highway, Grayson & Whitter, 2011
no info North Carolina History, Mystery, Lore & More, Tommy Edwards, 2011
no info Darker Than Light, Bobby Bare, 2012
no info Americana, Neil Young With Crazy Horse, 2012
no info North Carolina History, Mystery, Lore & More, Tommy Edwards, 2012
no info Banjo, Fiddle And Voice, Tim Eriksen, 2013
no info Doc & Merle (DVD), Doc & Merle Watson, 2013
no info Six Classic Albums Plus EP's And Singles, Lonnie Donegan, 2014
no info Dig A Hole, Chi Lameo, 2014
no info Pat Boone: Duets, Pat Boone, 2016
no info Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition, Various Artists (Laura Boosinger), 2017
no info Old Time Pigeon, The Woodsheep, 2019
no info The Story Of Vanguard, Various Artists (Doc Watson), 2021