B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora

Subject: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: Arnie Naiman
Date: 08 Oct 99 - 09:31 AM

I get REALLY EXCITED when I learn something new on the banjo. B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora recorded in 1927 is one of those masterpieces of solo banjo songs that mesmorizes me. Well I just decided I'd maybe try and figure out how he played it, and I've started to work on it. I tuned ny banjo eCGCC and using 2 fingers only for picking. I think I'm getting that quick nice rhythm he gets (which is almost backwards to how I play clawhammer tunes). THIS IS VERY COOL!

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 08 Oct 99 - 10:31 AM

I know the feeling Arnie. Sometimes, after discovering one of the wonderful performers that you hear mentioned by Pete or Mike Seeger it's easy to forget that they were probably much younger than us when they recorded these gems on their primitive acetates. The first time I actually HEARD Mose Rager I felt like someone who was having an encounter with God for the first time. Same with Ralph Blizzard (thank you for that Arnie).

Rick

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: Stewie
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 01:33 AM

The wonderful B.F Shelton recorded a mere four sides at his only recording session. Three of these are available on a single CD: 'Music of Kentucky Vol 1' Yazoo 2031 - 'Pretty Polly', 'Darling Cora' and 'Oh Molly Dear'. I mention this in case you are unaware of the availability of the other two (although they appear singly in several CD compilations).

Regards, Stewie.

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: Arnie Naiman
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 09:49 AM

I've heard Pretty Polly - awesome! I was not aware of the CD. What's the rest of it like?

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: Dale Rose
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 10:13 AM

Music of Kentucky, Vol 1 at CDNow but I am sure you can get it here as well. Includes track titles and a few sound clips, including Polly, but not Cora. Love those old hymns by Ernest Phipps and Alfred Karnes! The whole album is great. Highly recommended

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 12:40 PM

Alfred Karnes (and his Gibson harp guitar) IS GOD! Sandy Paton turned me on to "Called to the Foreign Field", and I'll thank the man forever. "Bound For the Promised Land" is so good it almost makes me a believer (almost).

Rick

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: Stewie
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 07:17 PM

Arnie, both volumes of Music of Kentucky are unreservedly recommended.

Rick and Dale Rose, it is most likely that you are aware of this, but I mention it in case you are not. What is purported to be the 'complete recorded works' of Alfred G. Karnes (8 sides) are on an excellent compilation CD on Document: 'Kentucky Gospel' DOCD 8013. The rest of the CD is Ernest Phipps aggregations and the obscure McVay and Johnson. By general Document standards, the sound is remarkably good. It should be available through CDNow for those interested. I say 'purported' because I have seen a Tony Russell discography of Karnes somewhere (I have always meant to chase it up) which lists at least 2 additional sides.

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: Dale Rose
Date: 09 Oct 99 - 08:58 PM

Yes, that is definitely on my want list, if for no other reason than Childhood Play by Alfred Karnes. I have only heard it by Doc Watson, and have desired the Karnes version for a good many years. Thanks, Stewie, for the info on quality ~~ I have been wondering about that. As you noted, Document does not always use the best sources.

Subject: Lyr Add: DARLING CORA (from B. F. Shelton)
From: Richie
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 10:47 PM

DARLING CORA: B.F. Shelton

Oh go dig a hole in the meadow
Oh go dig a hole in the ground
Go dig a hole in the meadow
Let me lay pretty Corey down

Oh the last time I saw darlin' Corey
She was sittin' on the bank of the sea
With a forty-four around her
And a banjo on her knee.

Wake up, wake up, darling Corey
How can you sleep so sound
Highway robbers are comin'
Gonna tear your still-house down.

Go away, go away, darlin' Corey
And bring to me my gun
I ain't no man for trouble
But trouble just now begun.

The last time I saw darling Corey
(She) had a forty-five in her hand
Kill them revenue officers
If they leave here with my man.

Go away, go away, darling Corey
Quit your hangin' around my bed
Whisky has ruined my body
Pretty women will kill me stone dead.

Across the deep blue ocean
Across the deep blue sea
Go bring to me darlin' Corey
Wherever she may be.

Wake up, wake up, darlin' Corey
Go do the best you can
I have got me another woman
You can notch you another man

Oh yes, oh yes, my darlin'
I'll do the best I can
But I'll never give my pleasure
For another gamblin' man.

Notes: Transcription of B.F. Shelton 'Darling Cora' recorded on July 29, 1927 in Bristol, Tenn, and issued as Vi 35838. Transcribed by Stewie corrections by Richie

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: GUEST,George R. Gibson
Date: 05 Jan 04 - 08:24 PM

I grew up in Knott County, which is in east Kentucky. I have played banjo since about 1950. Darlin' Cora was one of my father's favorite banjo songs. He tuned the banjo lower than standard and played Cora in the relative tuning, G-CGCC. I recently bought a recording by Buell Kazee, which has his version of Cora. He sounds the strings one by one before playing Cora. He is also in the G-CGCC tuning. I believe B. F. Shelton played his version of Cora in a variant of this tuning, G-CGCE. I believe Shelton was from Clay County originally, and Kazee was from Magoffin County, both located in east Kentucky. This leads me to believe that the banjo song Darlin' Cora and the tuning G-CGCC was once probably widespread in east Kentucky.
Cordially
George R. Gibson

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: rich-joy
Date: 06 Jan 04 - 05:14 AM

When Stewie first introduced my partner and I to the recordings of BF Shelton and Alfred G Karnes (weren't they both singing barbers??) a few years back, we were just blown away by their singing and playing!!!

I also remember at the time finding a swag of data on the Net about the Darlin Cora tunings - maybe it was on some special old timey banjo site? - and also, on the history of this song in the Folk Revival (maybe its lineage was from BF Shelton to Pete Seeger to the Kingston Trio ???)

ANYWAY, whatever, it's all FANTASTIC stuff from both these guys!!!
(An' we're quite partial to old Ernest Phipps too!!)

Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: GLoux
Date: 06 Jan 04 - 11:50 AM

The Yazoo Music of Kentucky CDs include a lot of Luther Strong and Bill Stepp fiddling (that can be well interpreted on banjo), as well as lots of songs. Volume Two includes the seminal Emry Arthur song, I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow.

And if you don't feel like stopping there, get the new Yazoo 7 CD Kentucky Mountain Music (just got reviewed in the current Old Time Herald by Kerry Blech)...and there is no overlap with the earlier CDs.
The last sentence of Kerry's review about says it all:

"I've always thought of the 1920s as a Golden Age of recorded old-time music, but with the reissue, availability and new issue of precious gems in the recent past, I may reconsider and pronounce these days as the true Golden Age."

-Greg

Subject: RE: B.F. Shelton's Darlin Cora
From: GUEST,Pops
Date: 24 Mar 11 - 06:59 AM

I cannot stop listening to this song. 15 times in a row per day, for weeks! and then it sticks in my head. There's something about it that really gets to me, something that taps into my existence.