{"id":10667,"date":"2022-07-06T08:26:09","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T07:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/?p=10667"},"modified":"2022-07-06T08:29:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T07:29:56","slug":"she-walks-these-hills-in-a-long-black-veil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/2022\/07\/06\/she-walks-these-hills-in-a-long-black-veil\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2026 she walks these hills in a LONG BLACK VEIL"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2026 she walks these hills in a<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LONG BLACK VEIL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norman Warwick hears a tale of murder most foul<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murder ballads<\/em> are a subgenre of the traditional <\/em>ballad<\/em><\/a> form dealing with a crime or a gruesome death. Their <\/em>lyrics<\/em><\/a> form a <\/em>narrative<\/em><\/a> describing the events of a <\/em>murder<\/em><\/a>, often including the lead-up and\/or aftermath. The term refers to the content, and may be applied to traditional ballads, part of <\/em>oral culture<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a Bronte ghost story, a Thomas hardy novel and a Mills And Boon romance rolled into one. I can\u00b4t remember when or where I first heard nor who told it to me. It seemed to me one of those tales that belongs with The Reverend Mr. Black or with Kate Bush or that song about the Silver Dagger that Joan Baez used to sing. It carried echoes of Mack The Knife or The Ballad Of Hollis Brown.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murder ballads make up a notable portion of traditional ballads, many of which originated in Scandinavia, England, and lowland Scotland in the <\/em>pre-modern<\/em><\/a> era (suggesting an ultimate Germanic cultural origin).<\/em><\/a>In those, while the murder is committed, the murderer usually suffers justice at the hands of the victim’s family, even if the victim and murderer are related (see “Edward\/Son David”, “The Cruel Brother”, and “The Two Sisters” for examples). In these ballads murderous women usually burn while males hang\u2014see “Lamkin” and some Scottish versions of “The Two Sisters”. Within the context of the British isles, murder ballads are only found in English and Scots-speaking regions (broadly, England, lowland Scotland, and north eastern Ireland), and are not a feature of Gaelic or Welsh-language music.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The details and locales for a particular murder ballad did change over time. For example, “<\/em>Knoxville Girl<\/em><\/a>” is essentially the same ballad as “The Wexford Girl” with the setting transposed from Ireland to Tennessee\u2014the two of them are based on “The Oxford Girl”, a murder ballad set in England. Many American murder ballads are modified versions of <\/em>Old World<\/em><\/a> ballads with any elements of supernatural retribution removed and the focus transferred to the slaughter of the innocent. For example, the English ballad “The Gosport Tragedy” of the 1750s had both murder and vengeance on the murderer by the ghosts of the murdered woman and her unborn baby, who call up a great storm to prevent his ship sailing before tearing him apart. In contrast, the Kentucky version, “<\/em>Pretty Polly<\/em><\/a>“, is a stark and blood-soaked murder ballad with the victim being betrayed by the man she loves, stabbed in the heart, and buried in a shallow grave. The epilogue describes her killer being hanged by the community and his soul burning in hell and a “debt to the Devil” in a few versions.<\/em>[5]<\/sup><\/em><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

African music traditions brought by slaves blended with the conventions. <\/em>Olive Burt<\/em><\/a> noted that the murder ballad tradition of the <\/em>American Old West<\/em><\/a> is distinct to some extent from that of ballads rooted in the old broadside tradition, noting that:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Western settlers found murder and bloodshed fascinating, and composed local ballads. But with printing facilities scarce, many of these items were not published at all while others saw fame only briefly in the columns of the local newspapers. As a result, true western ballads of murder\u2014except those about such famous outlaws as Jesse James, Cole Younger, Sam Bass, and their ilk\u2014have been entirely lost, or are known only to the children of those who knew and sang them. These children are now, of course, old men and women. Some of the best examples of western murder ballads will be lost forever when these people die.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/em>Several historical murder ballads became hit pop songs in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Kingston Trio’s “Tom Dooley” (as mentioned above), which was a #1 <\/em>Billboard<\/em><\/a> hit in 1958, <\/em>Lloyd Price<\/em><\/a>‘s version of “<\/em>Stagger Lee<\/em><\/a>” also reached the top of the chart in 1959, while <\/em>Lefty Frizzell<\/em><\/a>‘s “<\/em>Long Black Veil<\/em><\/a>” was a hit for a number of artists over the years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released in 1959, the storytelling song, \u201cLong Black Veil,\u201d has one of the most bone-chilling narratives of any song of the 20th century. As a result, it\u2019s an all-time classic and a song many wish they\u2019d written, themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also one of the most covered country songs of all time (more on this below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s dive into the song\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The country ballad, which was written by Marijohn Wilkin and Danny Dill was originally recorded by country star Lefty Frizzell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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photo 2 Marijohn Wilk (n\u00e9e<\/a> Melson<\/strong>; July 14, 1920 \u2013 October 28, 2006) was an American songwriter, famous in country music<\/a> for writing a number of hits. Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as “The Den Mother of Music Row,” as chronicled in her 1978 biography Lord, Let Me Leave ASong<\/em> (right<\/em><\/strong> authored with Darryl E. Hicks). It was honoured as \u201cOne of the 100 Most Important Books about Nashville\u2019s Music Industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilkin was born in Kemp, Texas and raised in Sanger, Texas, north of Dallas. She became a teacher, and was widowed when her husband Bedford Russell was killed in World War II. She remarried in 1946, with one son; her 1950 marriage to Art Wilkin, Jr. was her third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her father, a baker, had been a fiddle player. From 1955 she toured with Red Foley<\/a>, and in 1956 her songs were recorded by Mitchell Torok<\/a> and Wanda Jackson<\/a>. In 1958, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and had major hits, written with John D. Loudermilk<\/a>, for Stonewall Jackson<\/a> (the number one country hit “Waterloo<\/a>“, which made the pop top ten) and Jimmy C. Newman<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilkin also wrote The Long Black Veil<\/a> for Lefty Frizzell<\/a> (with Danny Dill<\/a>), Cut Across Shorty<\/a> for Eddie Cochran<\/a> (with Wayne P. Walker), and I Just Don’t Understand<\/a> which became a pop hit for Ann-Margret<\/a> and was covered by The Beatles<\/a>. Although she was primarily a country songwriter, her songs have been recorded by several pop and rock acts, including Rod Stewart<\/a> and Mick Jagger<\/a>. Wilkin also recorded occasionally for Columbia Records<\/a> and Dot Records<\/a> in the 1960s and at times worked as a background vocalist. She is billed simply as Marijohn on a few of her recordings. On DOT records, she recorded under the name Romi Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marijohn Wilkin may be most famous for One Day At A Time<\/a> (left), often considered the biggest gospel song of the 1970s. Wilkin wrote the song in 1973 with some assistance by her former prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Kris Kristofferson<\/a>. The song won a Dove Award<\/a> from the Gospel Music Association<\/a> in 1975. The song was a top 20 country single for Marilyn Sellars<\/a> in 1974 and hit No. 37 on Billboard’s Hot 100<\/a> pop chart. It also launched a career as a gospel recording artist for Wilkin, who released several albums on Word Records<\/a>. A remake became a No. 1 country hit for Cristy Lane<\/a> in 1980 and has since been recorded more than 200 times. Even though written as a personal worship song, it has also been recognized as “One of the Top 50 Southern Gospel Songs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Johnny Duncan<\/a> and Ed Bruce<\/a> were among the many songwriters she helped get a foothold in the music business. Kris Kristofferson was in the army with one of her distant cousins, so he sent some of his work to her at Buckhorn, her publishing company. She became the first to publish his songs, notably For The Good Times<\/a>. In 1970, it became a massive pop and country hit for Ray Price<\/a>, although my favourite version was by Perry Como. Wilkin is credited for the discovery of Kristofferson and being the first person to give him work as a legitimate songwriter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wilkin’s son John “Bucky” Wilkin became the frontman of the 1960s\u00a0surf rock<\/a>\u00a0group\u00a0Ronny & the Daytonas<\/a>,(left)<\/em><\/strong> whose 1964 debut single “G.T.O.” reached No. 4 on the\u00a0Billboard Pop Singles<\/a>\u00a0chart. In 1975, Marijohn was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilkin formed 17th Avenue Music, a publishing company. It became profitable when its songs were recorded by LeAnn Rimes<\/a>. In 2005, Wilkin was honoured by the SOURCE organization as a pioneering Music Row businesswoman. This was her last notable public appearance. She died of heart disease<\/a> in October 2006. Her last marriage was to the record producer Clarence Selman in 1967.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marijohn\u00b4s collaborator on Long Black Veil was the aforementioned Danny Dill,\u00a0(right<\/em><\/strong> September 19, 1924[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 October 23, 2008)\u00a0 who was an American\u00a0country music<\/a>\u00a0singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the\u00a0Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame<\/a>\u00a0in 1975.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dill, born in Clarksburg, Tennessee<\/a>, got his start as a professional musician while working with Annie Lou Stockard as Annie Lou and Danny, a duet act who performed on the Grand Ole Opry<\/a> during the 1940s and 50s. Annie Lou And Danny Dill were made members of The Opry in the 1940s. Although Dill recorded as a solo artist, he found his greatest success as a songwriter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His 1959 tune, Long Black Veil<\/a>, written with Marijohn Wilkin<\/a>, was Top 10 country hit for Lefty Frizzell<\/a> and has become a standard recorded by many country, folk<\/a> and pop music<\/a> musicians. Another notable Dill composition was Detroit City (I Wanna Go Home)<\/a>, that was a hit for Bobby Bare<\/a>, Tom Jones<\/a> and Dean Martin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Black Veil was first recorded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1959 by Frizzell and produced by Don Law. The song later hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country & Western chart. At the time, it became Frizzell\u2019s best-performing single in some five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The narrator of the story within the song portrays the point of view of a man falsely accused of murder. He\u2019s to be executed. But he refuses to provide an alibi for his innocence. Why? Because, as the song says, he was in the arms of his best friend\u2019s wife.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cold stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Telling the public about the extramarital affair would put a scarlet letter on the woman and create such dishonour that the narrator decides to take his fate and die. He would rather take the secret to the grave than admit what he and his love interest (his friend\u2019s wife) have done. The truth, in this case, will not set them free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the lyrics, the song\u2019s narrator explains, someone died near the town hall and the killer looked \u201ca lot\u201d like the narrator, though it wasn\u2019t him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sings the narrator:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten years ago, on a cold dark night
Someone was killed, \u2018neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene, but they all agreed
That the slayer who ran, looked a lot like me<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judge in the case gives the narrator a chance to set himself free:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the judge said son, what is your alibi
If you were somewhere else, then you won\u2019t have to die
I spoke not a word, thou it meant my life
For I\u2019d been in the arms of my best friend\u2019s wife<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But to no avail. Honour is held by keeping the secret. The song\u2019s chorus describes the woman mournfully visiting the narrator\u2019s grave, wearing a\u2014yes\u2014long black veil and enduring a wailing wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, the narrator dies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, the scaffold is high and eternity\u2019s near
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear
But late at night, when the north wind blows
In a long black veil, she cries ov\u2019re my bones<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2019, Frizzell\u2019s version of the song, which was a departure from his more signature honky-tonk style, was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry because it is \u201cculturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the song, its writers have said that they drew on three sources for the track\u2019s inspiration. The first was Red Foley\u2019s recording of the song \u201cGod Walks These Hills With Me.\u201d The second was a then-contemporary newspaper report about the unsolved murder of a priest. And the third was the legend of a mysterious veiled woman who allegedly regularly visited Rudolph Valentino\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cLong Black Veil\u201d is now known as a standard and has been covered dozens of times by prominent artists in both folk and rock music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some of the more famous renditions come from The Band, and The Dave Matthews Band (shown here in their 2022 line up),<\/em><\/strong> and. Johnny Cash who performed the song on the first episode of The Johnny Cash Show<\/em> in 1969, duetting with Joni Mitchell. Matthews performed it live with Emmylou Harris at a Cash tribute concert. He later performed it on his acclaimed concert album, Listener Supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Band performed the song at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Black Veil<\/strong> is told from the point of view of a man falsely accused of murder and executed. He refuses to provide an alibi<\/a>, since on the night of the murder he was having an extramarital affair<\/a> with his best friend’s wife, and would rather die and take their secret to his grave than admit the truth. The chorus describes the woman’s mourning visits to his gravesite, wearing a long black veil and enduring a wailing wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, Frizzell’s version of “Long Black Veil” was selected by the Library of Congress<\/a> for preservation in the National Recording Registry<\/a> for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilkin played piano on the original recording by Frizzell. The song was a departure from Frizzell’s previous honky tonk<\/a> style and was a deliberate move toward the then current popularity of folk-styled material and the burgeoning Nashville sound<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The song also appears on David Allan Coe<\/a>‘s 1984 compilation 20 Greatest Hits<\/em> and on Marianne Faithfull<\/a>‘s Rich Kid Blues<\/em><\/a>, recorded in 1971 but shelved until 1985.[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds<\/a> recorded a version for the 1986 covers album Kicking Against the Pricks<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The song was performed by Bruce Springsteen<\/a> on his 2006 Seeger Sessions Band Tour<\/a>.[3]<\/sup><\/a> The chorus is frequently sung by Bruce Hornsby<\/a> during live performances of his song “White Wheeled Limousine”, including the version on the retrospective box set Intersections (1985-2005)<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mick Jagger<\/a> recorded a version with The Chieftains<\/a> for that group’s 1995 album The Long Black Veil<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike Ness<\/a>, principal songwriter and guitarist of punk-rock band Social Distortion<\/a>, covered the song on his 1999 debut solo album Cheating at Solitaire<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jerry Garcia<\/a>, David Grisman<\/a> and Tony Rice<\/a> cover the song on the 2000 Pizza Tapes<\/em><\/a> recordings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 2011 album Rancho Alto<\/em><\/a> by Jason Boland & the Stragglers<\/a>, the song “False Accuser’s Lament” is a follow up to “Long Black Veil”, describing a witness’s view of the events and the role that he played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phil Lesh<\/a> of the Grateful Dead<\/a> performed the song several times, with a variety of musicians, in his rotating line-ups of Phil Lesh and Friends<\/a> at his venue Terrapin Crossroads<\/a>. Jamey Johnson<\/a> has covered the song on tour.[5]<\/sup><\/a> Black Rebel Motorcycle Club<\/a> occasionally perform the song during their live shows. The Black Crowes<\/a> have covered the song, for instance during their December 17, 2010 performance at The Fillmore<\/a> in San Francisco<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK artist Richard Hawley<\/a> covered the song as a B-side to “Just Like the Rain”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

photo 10 The Proclaimers<\/a>‘ version is included as a bonus track on the 2001 release of their 1988 album Sunshine on Leith<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact there have been severl versions of the song that have featured on hit albums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

T<\/strong>racks on hit albums<\/strong>[edit<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n