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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner |
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| Tom Dooley - Folk Song Histories - General - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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GreasyStrings Approved 
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The legend and song of Tom Dooley is one of my favorite historical tunes because it takes place just up the road in Wilkes County, NC. To make a long story short, Tom Dooley, Laura Foster, and another woman named Annie Melton were supposedly in a love triangle. Laura Foster was horribly murdered on a desolate mountaintop in 1866. Dooley was accused and hanged for the murder in Statesville, NC in 1869. Today, many people still have different opinions on what actually occurred on that fateful day. Some claim that Tom killed Laura, while others believe that Annie killed her out of jealousy and Tom took the fall. However, almost everyone agrees that Tom would not have been convicted of the crime in present times due to a lack of evidence. You can still go to Wilkes County and see his grave stone and jail cell. Tom Dooley was first recorded in the 1930's by Frank Proffitt. It became a huge hit with the Kingston Trio in the 50's and remains one of America’s great folk tunes. More recently, Doc Watson does a fantastic version and David Holt did a great episode of Folkways unraveling the mystery of this great tale. You can access clawhammer tab for the song via: http://www.ezfolk.com/banjo/tab/qrst/index.html Here is Dooley's grave:  And here is Laura Foster's: 
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GreasyStrings Approved
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Here is Doc Watson's version: Hang your head, Tom Dooley, Hang your head and cry; You killed poor Laurie Foster, And you know you're bound to die (this is the chorus) You left her by the roadside Where you begged to be excused; You left her by the roadside, Then you hid her clothes and shoes. <chorus> You took her on the hillside For to make her your wife; You took her on the hillside, And ther you took her life. You dug the grave four feet long And you dug it three feet deep; You rolled the cold clay over her And tromped it with your feet. <chorus> "Trouble, oh it's trouble A-rollin' through my breast; As long as I'm a-livin', boys, They ain't a-gonna let me rest. I know they're gonna hang me, Tomorrow I'll be dead, Though I never even harmed a hair On poor little Laurie's head." <chorus> "In this world and one more Then reckon where I'll be; If is wasn't for Sheriff Grayson, I'd be in Tennesee. You can take down my old violin And play it all you please. For at this time tomorrow, boys, Iit'll be of no use to me." <chorus> "At this time tomorrow Where do you reckon I'll be? Away down yonder in the holler Hangin' on a white oak tree. <chorus>
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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GS- Is that your mountain banjo in the picture? How do you like it for sound and all? From what I have read, this is the kind of banjo I may be looking for. Point of interest on the song, I heard somewhere that Tom's real last name is Dula. That appears to jive with the broken tombstone. Thanks for the history.  keep on pickin'Brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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Richard Hefner Administrator 
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I have my DVR set to record Folkways every time it comes on and I just saw the Tom Dooley episode a couple of months ago. It really is a fascinating story. What I found more interesting than anything else though was Frank Proffitt's son talking about their family sitting around the TV watching The Kingston Trio sing Tom Dooley on the Ed Sullivan show. I was raised just down the road from all of this in Hickory but never really heard the Frank Proffitt version or the Doc Watson version until years after The Kingston Trio version sounded "right" to me, so the clawhammer banjo arrangement I did was more based on the latter. Brad... you're right about his real name being "Tom Dula." One of my brothers married a girl whose name was Dula from Caldwell County, which I think is one county over (ain't lookin at a map). Anyway, I heard somebody say a long time ago she was related to Tom. I'll have to ask for some details next time I see her. 
____________________ Richard Hefner Webmaster, ezFolk.com MP3 Page: http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/richardhefner Running Blog: http://old-runner.com |
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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Richard- Where is this "Folkways" show shown? I need to see if I can find it. It sounds right up my alley  keep on pickin'brad
____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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GreasyStrings Approved
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Richard, that makes two of us, I too have my DVR set to record Folkways every time it comes on. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Folkways only shows in North Carolina. Anyway, it comes on UNC-TV throughout NC. It is definately one of my favorite shows on tv. In the series, David has explored North Carolina culture from the mountains to the coast touching on a wide variety of topics ranging from pottery to the banjo to what i consider the most bizarre episode thus far when he explored "wildcrafting." Great show.  Check out the website: http://www.unctv.org/folkways/ ....something interesting I just noticed, the photo on the Folkways homepage says in the bottom right corner that it was taken by Hugh Morton, he is the owner of Grandfather Mountain and a North Carolina photographer. Last edited on Sun May 16th, 2004 05:24 pm by GreasyStrings |
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Richard Hefner Administrator
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Thanks for the link to the Folkways site... I didn't know there was such a thing. I haven't seen a lot of the shows. Usually if it's homesteading or wildcrafting or such stuff I just erase it instead of watching it... more interested in the music shows. I've seen most of those but haven't seen the one about the banjo yet. Seems like Hugh Morton was the host of the "Singing on the Mountain" they used to have every year on Grandfather's Mountain. You remember that? I went a couple of times back in the 1970s but haven't even thought about it for years. I remember it was a traditional thing that had been going on for many years but I guess they stopped having it somewhere along the line. Now that you mention it I guess it makes sense that Folkways might just be shown in North Carolina since all the shows seem to be about NC. Of course, UNC-TV shows Mountain Stage, which seems to feature music from West Virginia, so most likely the Folkways shows are available anywhere but only shown in the markets that choose to pick it up. I'd guess it would be more popular in North Carolina than New York or California.
____________________ Richard Hefner Webmaster, ezFolk.com MP3 Page: http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/richardhefner Running Blog: http://old-runner.com |
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Will Approved 
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I read Doc Watson's account of the Laura Foster murder, when he was interviewed over 40 years ago. Doc's grandparents knew Tom Dula's parents. Some accounts say that Annie Melton was the murderer of Laura Foster, but she allowed Tom Dula to hang for her crime, because she knew she was too pretty for the hangman's noose. She later married Sheriff Grayson. Years later, while on her deathbed, Annie Melton confessed to her husband in a shocking confession. Here is Loose Change & Friends' version of Tom Dooley, closely following The Kingston Trio's arrangement, except it's sung in the key of G rather than E: http://ezfolk.com/audio/play.php?band_id=245&song_id=1115&mode=song_hifi http://ezfolk.com/audio/play.php?band_id=245&song_id=1115&mode=song_lofi
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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catsailr Approved 
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Interesting to read about the history of Tom Dooley. I've liked that song since I first heard it by the Kingston Trio. I sang a karaoke version of the Kingston Trio you can hear are http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/rlnichols
____________________ http://www.myspace.com/catsailr http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/rlnichols |
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Philj200 Approved 
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It may be revisionist history but Tom D. was far from an angel. He was, as I recall the events (I was only a kid at the time), a veteran of the ACW (Southern side). He was supposed to have had a hard war. And came back with toubles with alcohol and what today would be called PTS Disorder. The women involved may have been his on again, off again (ahem) lovers. They may also have been women he turned out for commercial reason, so to speak. The Tom Dooley version by the Kingston Trio got me started. I heard it and purchased my first guitar, a Kay. I heard their version recently and cringed at the sophmoric bathos. Give me Doc's version at this point in my life. I think Bil Monroe may have done a version back when.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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catsailr Approved
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Interesting info Phil. I had a Kay guitar about 30 years ago and could play a few chords. Haven't played since then. I guess I ought to buy one and start again.
____________________ http://www.myspace.com/catsailr http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/rlnichols |
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| ezFolk Forums > General > Folk Song Histories > Tom Dooley | |
