Hi Joe,

I'm sure Doc had the song copyrighted as Deep River Blues and probably at someone suggestion changed the name. At the time I knew him in the early 1990s his manager/booking agent was Mitch Greenhill and it could have been copyrighted by Greenhill Music. It was probably copyrighted before Mitch by StormKing Music back in the 60s.

W.C. Handy's daughter or maybe W.C. and someone else had a different song with that title if I remember it was about a Mississippi River flood- anyway- their song was copyrighted under that title first.

This should be an arrangement by Doc Watson.

Deep River Blues arranged and adapted by Doc Watson circa 1965

Whether Big River Blues was written by Sam McGee or Alton Delmore is unknown. I'd say the Delmores own the copyright.

Richie