Artist: John Jacob Niles
Author: traditional
Label: Victor
Year: 1941
Child ballad #81. On album American Folk Lore Vol 3 (four 78's) along with Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair. Murder ballad first collected in 1630.
Covers:
Benjamin Britten [used this folk song's tune for his chorale The Ballad Of Little Musgrave And Lady Barnard]
Paul Clayton [als Lord Darnell and in '62 as Massey Groves]
Bob Gibson [as Matie Groves]
Jeannie Robertson [als Little Musgrove And Lady Barnard; Peter Kennedy recording on Classic Ballads Of Britain And Ireland Vol 1 in the Alan Lomax Collection]
Jean Ritchie [as Little Musgrave on From Her Appalachian Family Tradition]
Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger [as Matty Groves]
Joan Baez [idem]
Doc Watson [als Matty Groves]
Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick [pre Fairport as Little Musgrave And Lady Barnard]
Fairport Convention [as Matty Groves on Liege And Lief; using the tune of American variation Shady Grove (My Darling) (see there)]
Nic Jones [as Little Musgrove]
Christy Moore [also sang it with Planxty ('92)]
Planxty [as Little Musgrave]
Paul Roland [as Mattie Groves]
Janet McTeer & Emmy Rossum [in film Songcatcher]
Ralph Stanley [as Little Mathie Grove]
Paul Roland [as Matty Groves]
Kadril [idem]
James Yorkston [as Little Musgrave, in pure folk song tradition with slightly different words, melody and plot]
Tom Waits [on Orphans as Mathie Grove]
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)