I resurrect this simply to give a pointer to a moving recording of this song. It is the final track on 'Ancient Tones' - Ricky Skaggs' follow-up album to his 'Bluegrass Rules' move back to his roots. Excellent album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder 'Ancient Tones' Skaggs Family Records SKFR 1001. The text of 'Little Bessie' is much longer than that given above - it is sung mostly unaccompanied with a small section having guitar and mandolin. Ricky's note to the song reads:

Here is another song that I first heard from the Stanley Brothers. I loved their version very much. Then, one day, I found an old songbook that had many more verses to it than what they had recorded. I asked my dad if he knew anyone who could sing the old mountain style version of 'Little Bessie'. He said he thought he did. So we went down the road to a neighbour's house. Their names wer Alvie and Vernie Fyffe. Vernie knew the old way of singing that song. So I learned it from her. One of the blessings of having my own record label is that I can have the freedom to make the music that I want to make, even if it is ten minutes long.

--Stewie.