WAYFARING STRANGER, THE

Created on 10/09/2001
Latest update on 02/01/2023

Artist: Vaughan's Texas Quartet
Author: traditional
Label: Victor
Year: 1929

As Wayfaring Pilgrim. Southern gospel authority James David Vaughan (1864-1941) became his own publisher, had his own record company (Vaughan Phonograph Records), his own music school, his own periodical (The Vaughan Family Visitor) and his own radio station (WOAN). George Pullen Jackson found this song in shapenote music books from the early 19th century. Popular melody in England and in the States. Variations: Parting Friends and The Dear Companion, dating back to 1836/37 (W.P.A. Federal Music Project in Floyd Co., KY and Library of Congress).

Covers:

1933:

Frank Welling & his Gospel Singers

1944:

Burl Ives [gave its name to his own CBS radio show]

1950:

Jo Stafford [as Poor Wayfaring Stranger]

1951:

Ewan MacColl [as The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow]

1952:

Davie Stewart [idem; Lomax recording]

1955:

Eddy Arnold

1957:

Tennessee Ernie Ford

1958:

Bill Monroe

1959:

Roscoe Holcomb

1959:

Almeda Riddle [the way she learned it as a little girl in church in Arkansas]

1959:

Estil C. Ball [on Sounds Of The South]

1961:

Horton Barker

1961:

Clarence Ashley

1961:

Carolyn Hester [as Yarrow]

1962:

Limeliters

1962:

Peggy Seeger [as The Bowie Dens O Yarrow]

1964:

Joni Mitchell [as Yarrow, live]

1966:

Dusty Springfield [as Poor Wayfaring Stranger]

1968:

H.P. Lovecraft

1968:

Tim Buckley [in medley with You Got Me Runnin']

1969:

Joan Baez [as Poor Wayfaring Stranger]

1969:

Michael Parks

1969:

Zen

1974:

Roy Buchanan

1977:

Roger McGuinn

1980:

Emmylou Harris

1996:

Jimmy Scott

1996:

Eva Cassidy [released posthumously]

1996:

Norma Waterson [and in 2010 with daughter Eliza Carthy]

1999:

Charlie Haden [grew up in a singing radio family digging Grand Ole' Opry stuff; yes, jazzman Charlie sings]

1999:

Iris Dement [on a Tom Russell cd]

2000:

Johnny Cash

2001:

Andreas Scholl

2001:

Maria McKee [in film Songcatcher]

2003:

Natalie Merchant [as Poor Wayfaring Stranger]

2003:

Jack White [in film Cold Mountain]

2004:

Peter, Paul & Mary

2006:

Anonymous 4

2006:

Jamie Woon

2010:

Eric Bibb

2011:

Ed Sheeran

2012:

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

2012:

Broken Circle Breakdown Bluegrass Band

2012:

Rick Holmstrom

2013:

Charley Rose [in BBC TV series Nashville]

2013:

Spencer Bohren

2015:

Lulu

2016:

John Scofield

2019:

Rhiannon Giddens

2020:

Jos Slovick [in film 1917]

2020:

Haden Triplets

Contact


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)

info@originals.be

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