Pretty Saro Explained

"Pretty Saro" (Roud 417) is an English folk ballad originating in the early 1700s.[1] The song died out in England by the mid eighteenth century but was rediscovered in North America (particularly in the Appalachian Mountains) in the early twentieth century, where it had been preserved through oral traditions.[2] Cecil Sharp and later folklorists and proponents of the folk revival helped keep songs such as "Pretty Saro" alive well into modern times.

Traditional Versions

The famous Appalachian musician Jean Ritchie was recorded with her sisters in 1946 by Mary Elizabeth Barnacle singing her family's traditional version on the song,[3] before recording it on the album Jean Ritchie And Doc Watson At Folk City (1963). The Appalachian traditional singer Horton Barker also recorded a traditional version on his eponymous 1962 album.[4] [5] Several other traditional Appalachian versions were recorded, particularly by Alan Lomax.[6] [7] [8] [9] A few traditional Ozark recordings were also made[10] [11] [12] (many of which can be heard online),[13] [14] and one in Toronto, Canada.[15]

Popular Recordings

Notable artists who have recorded Pretty Saro include:

ArtistAlbum
Derroll Adams65th Birthday Concert
Sam AmidonAll is Well[16]
Judy CollinsA Maid of Constant Sorrow[17]
Shirley Collins and Davy GrahamFolk Roots, New Routes[18]
Iris DementSongcatcher[19]
Bob DylanThe Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)
Chris JonesCloud of Dust
Bruce Molsky and Big HoedownBruce Molsky and Big Hoedown
Ashley Monroe featuring Aubrey HaynieDivided & United

The Songs of the Civil War

Jay MunlyGalvanized Yankee
Pete SeegerGod Bless the Grass
Doc WatsonHome Again!
The Dixie Bee-LinersThrough My Screen Door
John DoyleEvening Comes Early
Bert JanschA Rare Conundrum
Rhiannon Giddens
Bluecoats Drum and Bugle CorpsSession 44
Martin SimpsonLive (1996)
The WesterliesThe Westerlies
Stephen WakeThe Mystical Land (2020)
RocketshipRarities
During his Self Portrait sessions in March 1970 at Columbia Records' New York studio, Bob Dylan ran through "Pretty Saro" six consecutive times. While none of those versions made the final cut for the album, the song remained in Columbia's vault, until it was released on Another Self Portrait, a 35-track box set of songs cut for Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Sharp, Cecil James. Campbell, Olive Dame. Karpeles, Maud. English folk songs from the Southern Appalachians, Volume 1. Oxford University Press, Volume 1. page 10
  2. Reed, Smith. South Carolina ballads: with a study of the traditional ballad to-day. Harvard University Press, 1928. pages 75-76
  3. Web site: Pretty Saro (Roud Folksong Index S273405). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  4. Web site: Horton Barker - Traditional Singer. 2020-11-21. Discogs. 26 November 1962 . en.
  5. Web site: The Foot of Yonders Mountain (Roud Folksong Index S205621). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  6. Web site: As I Came Through This Country in 1849 (when I First Came to This Country) (Roud Folksong Index S257799). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  7. Web site: I Came to This Country 1865 (when First I Came to This Country in 1865) (Roud Folksong Index S260578). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  8. Web site: I Came to This Country 1865 (Roud Folksong Index S260577). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  9. Web site: I Came to This Country 1849 (pretty Saro) (Roud Folksong Index S260576). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  10. Web site: Courtin' Miss Saro (Roud Folksong Index S231919). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  11. Web site: Pretty Mary (Roud Folksong Index S397881). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  12. Web site: At the Foot of Yonders Mountain (Roud Folksong Index S266136). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  13. Web site: Song Information. 2020-11-21. maxhunter.missouristate.edu. en.
  14. Web site: Song Information. 2020-11-21. maxhunter.missouristate.edu. en.
  15. Web site: Pretty Saro (Roud Folksong Index S158708). 2020-11-21. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. en-gb.
  16. Web site: New Sam Amidon Video – "Saro. Stereogum. 15 January 2008 . 4 March 2011.
  17. News: Guitar is just Spice for singer Collins. 4 March 2011. The Montreal Gazette. 5 August 1977.
  18. Web site: Folk Roots, New Routes, Allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  19. News: Ross. Bob. Songcatcher Finds Its Magic in Music. The Tampa Tribune. 20 July 2001.
  20. Andy Greene, "Bob Dylan's Lost 1970 Gem 'Pretty Saro' - Premiere", Rolling Stone Video (7 August 2013).

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