Discover Buck Curran’s Slow, Stately DADGAD Arrangement of “Black Is the Colour of My True Love’s Hair”
"Black Is the Colour of My True Love's Hair" is a conventional lament with mystical origins. Thought to have actually come from Scotland, as the River Clyde is referenced in the lyrics, the tune made its method to America in the late 19th or early 20th century with Scottish and Irish immigrants. In 1916, English folklorist Cecil Sharp gathered it from Lizzie Roberts in North Carolina and released it in thebook English Folk Songs from the Southern AppalachiansJohn Jacob Niles, a ballad vocalist and collector, made up the tune commonly utilized today.I initially heard "Black Is the Colour" through vocalist Jessica Ruby Radcliffe's variation, including Martin Simpson on guitar. Radcliffe discovered the tune from her household, affected by Burl Ives' 1944 recording. I tape-recorded it with Sha...