"Down in the Valley", also known as "Birmingham Jail", is a traditional
American folk song.
It has been recorded by many artists and is included in the ''Songs of Expanding America'' recordings in
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades.
Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...
' six-album set ''Historical America in Song''.
The verses mentioning "Birmingham Jail" refer to the Birmingham, Alabama, City Jail which was well-known in the mid-1920s, although the reference was often omitted in later versions. Guitarist Jimmie Tarlton claimed to have written the lyrics in 1925 while he was jailed in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
for moonshining. It was first recorded by Tarlton and his partner Tom Darby on November 10, 1927, in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, for
Columbia Records. According to one biographer of the folk musician
Lead Belly, he performed it for Texas Governor
Pat Neff
Pat Morris Neff (November 26, 1871 – January 20, 1952) was an American politician, educator and administrator, and the 28th Governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925, ninth President of Baylor University from 1932 to 1947, and twenty-fifth presid ...
at the Sugarland Penitentiary in 1924.
The
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
is played in the
time signature. Lyrics vary, as with most folk songs. For example, sometimes the line "Hang your head over, hear the wind blow" is replaced by "Late in the evening, hear the train blow".
In 1927,
Darby and Tarlton sang "down in the levee" in place of "down in the valley"; the version sung by
Lead Belly in 1934 substitutes "Shreveport jail" for "Birmingham jail".
Solomon Burke and
Bert Berns
Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include " Twist and Shout", " Piec ...
borrowed some of the song's lyrics and melody for their own
song of the same name. That song was covered by
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
on his album ''
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul''.
Selected recordings
*
Darby and Tarlton (1927, Columbia 15212D) – sold over 200,000 copies, one of Columbia's best-sellers at the time
[
* ]The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...
recorded it in 1944 and their version briefly reached the Billboard charts. They had featured the song in the film '' Moonlight and Cactus'' (1944).
* Patti Page - a single release in 1951.
* Cisco Houston
Gilbert Vandine "Cisco" Houston (August 18, 1918 – April 29, 1961) was an American folk singer and songwriter, who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of recording together.
Houston was a regular recording ...
included his version of the songs in two of his albums.
* Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album '' 101 Gang Songs'' (1961)
* Connie Francis
Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937),
known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...
- included in her album ''Sing Along with Connie Francis'' (1961).
* Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...
- for her album ''Do I Hear a Waltz?
''Do I Hear a Waltz?'' is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play ''The Time of the Cuckoo'', which was the basis for the 1955 film '' Summertime' ...
'' (1966)
* Slim Whitman
Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr. (January 20, 1923 – June 19, 2013), known as Slim Whitman, was an American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist known for his yodeling abilities and his use of falsetto. He claimed he had sold in excess of ...
- in his albums '' Love Song of the Waterfall'' (1965) and ''Cool Water'' (1968) and earlier, in 1949, as a 78-rpm side under the title "Birmingham Jail"
* Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, on the 1996 album '' Shady Grove''
In other media
This song is the basis of the 1945 Kurt Weill and Arnold Sundgaard opera '' Down in the Valley''.
It was performed by Anne Baxter in the ''Wagon Train
''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
'' episode, “The Kitty Angel Story“ (1959).
It was performed by Joanna Moore
Joanna Moore (born Dorothy Joanne Cook, November 10, 1934 – November 22, 1997) was an American film and television actress, who, between 1956 and 1976, appeared in 17 feature films and guest-starred in nearly a hundred television series episod ...
on ''The Andy Griffith Show
''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color.
The ...
'' in 1962.
The author/songwriter David M. Pierce used selected lyrics from the song as titles for a series of detective novels written between 1989 and 1996: ''Down in the Valley'', ''Hear the Wind Blow, Dear'', ''Roses Love Sunshine'', ''Angels in Heaven'', ''Write Me a Letter'' and ''As She Rides By''. The first four verses are featured in Catherine Marshall's novel, '' Christy'', before the prologue.
It is sung in the movie '' Stir Crazy'' by the character Grossberger portrayed by Erland Van Lidth. The actual recorded artist is Dorian Holley
Dorian Jose Holley is an American musician, backing singer and a vocal coach. He began his professional career as an on-stage backing vocalist for American entertainer Michael Jackson during his Bad World Tour in 1987. He staged a series of live c ...
; as credited in the movie's soundtrack.
Jim and Anna sing the song in Tillie Olsen
Tillie may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places in the United States
* Tillie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community
* Tillie, Pennsylvania, a former populated place
* Tillie Creek, California
People
* Tillie (name), a given name and surname
Animal
* Tilli ...
's novel '' Yonnondio: From the Thirties'' as they arrive in the Dakotas. The time and melancholy of the song contrast with the hope they are feeling as they arrive there.
The song is performed by Ronny Cox
Daniel Ronald Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. His best-known roles include Drew Ballinger in ''Deliverance'' (1972), George Apple in '' Apple's Way'' (1974–75), Ozark Bule in '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), C ...
(Ozark Bule) and David Carradine
David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series '' Kung Fu'', playi ...
(Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...
) in the Academy Award winning film (Best Cinematography/Best Music-Score) '' Bound for Glory'' (biography of Woody Guthrie) in the scene that takes place in a migrant fruit pickers camp. http://www.halashby.co.uk/page18.html
It is also used in the movie ''Along the Great Divide
''Along the Great Divide'' is a 1951 American Western film noir directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Kirk Douglas, Virginia Mayo, John Agar and Walter Brennan. It was Douglas's first Western, a genre that served him well during his long career ...
'' starring Kirk Douglas, Walter Brennan
Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...
, Virginia Mayo
Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Brothers' biggest box-office money-maker in the late 1940s. ...
, and John Agar
John George Agar Jr. (January 31, 1921 – April 7, 2002) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for starring alongside John Wayne in the films ''Sands of Iwo Jima'', '' Fort Apache'', and '' She Wore a Yellow Ribbon''. In h ...
although it was written long after the time period set of the movie.
In the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode “ Dark Page”, a mental projection of Deanna Troi's father sings the song, stating she could never fall asleep as a baby unless she heard it.
In '' The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'' by author Suzanne Collins
Suzanne Collins (born August 10, 1962) is an American author and television writer. She is known as the author of the book series '' The Underland Chronicles'' and ''The Hunger Games''.
Early life
Suzanne Collins was born on August 10, 1962, i ...
, Lucy Gray Baird sings her variant of the song, changing the words to "To the Capitol Jail" instead of "To Birmingham Jail."
A group of camp counselors sing the song, accompanied by guitar, in the opening scene of '' Friday the 13th''.
References
*
Further reading
*
External links
"Traditional Ballad Index of Folk Songs"
at California State University, Fresno
"Down in the Valley"
Darby and Tarlton 1929 recording at the Internet Archive
{{authority control
American folk songs
Children's songs
Songs about Alabama
The Andrews Sisters songs
Slim Whitman songs
1927 songs