Corey, Corey

Song Specific Liner Notes
ALBUM	NOTES
The Kingston Trio At Large	COREY, COREY (Guard / Shane / Reynolds) Comes from the Southern Appalachians and is a favorite of banjo pickers as well as singers. Some of the lyrics have been rewritten by the Trio. Final lyric revisions, incidentally, are usually done by Dave Guard.
Other Notes of Interest
Posted by Pete Curry to the Kingston Trio Place Musicians Rendezvous on May 23, 2000 at 20:13:12:	"Corey, Corey" from the "At Large" LP has always been one of my favorite KT songs. As best I can determine, this song, along with "Blow Ye Winds" from the same LP, marked Dave Guard's debut as a banjo frailer, and a good one at that. As many KT fans probably know, Dave's arrangement for this song was lifted almost note for note from the Weavers' version (which they called "Darling Corey"). Their version appeared on their classic Vanguard LP, "Weavers at Carnegie Hall" which was recorded in 1955 and released in 1957. (Other songs from this LP that found their way into the KT's repertoire include "Pay Me My Money Down," "Wimoweh," "Lonesome Traveler" and "When the Saints Go Marching In.") Pete Seeger probably brought the song to the Weavers' attention, since he had recorded it previously on a 10" LP for Folkways called "Darling Corey" in 1950. Interestingly, Seeger's 1950 version of the song (which according to the LP's liner notes he learned from a Victor record by B.F. Shelton) is totally different from the Weavers version in terms of playing styles: on the Weavers recording he played in standard G tuning (gDGBD) and used the basic frailing pattern (M-B-T, all down strokes), while on his 1950 recording he played in open D tuning (f#DF#AD) and used up-picking with a lot of double-thumbing (T-I-T-I), probably as per the Shelton recording. (Note: Seeger's "Darling Corey" is now available on CD together with his "Goofing Off Suite.") Prior to Seeger's 1950 recording, "Darling Corey" was published in John and Alan Lomax's "Our Singing Country" (1941) and again in their "Folk Song: U.S.A. (1947--the same book that brought "Tom Dooley" to the attention of folk revivalists of the 1950s). I believe Aunt Molly Jackson, the banjo-playing coal miner's wife and union organizer, was the Lomaxes' source for the song. To the best of my knowledge, Seeger's 1950 recording was the first by a non-traditional artist. I e-mailed the Library of Congress about the Victor recording Seeger mentions and they said the record (Victor #35838) was recorded by B.F. Shelton on July 29, 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee (probably supervised by Ralph Peer, the same man who discovered the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers). The flip side, by the way, was "Pretty Polly," another classic banjo piece. By the way, the LoC has zillions of old records that you can listen to there. Unfortunately, if you want a tape copy, you have to get permission from the label (if a commercial recording) or the artist's family (if a non-commercial recording, eg. Frank Proffitt's 1940 field recording of "Tom Dooley.") Pete Curry
"Corey, Corey" by Jack Spittard?	NOTE: As with the song "Get Away John," "THE KINGSTON TRIO delux souvenier vocal album" (c) 1964 by Hansen Publications, lists Jack Splittard as the composer of "Cory, Cory" while the album liner notes for "The Kingston Trio At Large" (1959) gives credit, in this case, to Dave Guard, Bob Shane. Nick Reynolds. It should also be noted that the spelling of the song titles in the Hansen puplication differs from those on the Trio's album: "Cory, Cory" (in the Hansen book ) vs "Corey, Corey" (on the Album) and "Get Away John" vs "Getaway John."

Corey, Corey

There's a pine log shack in the mountains.
That's where my Cory dwells.
She makes the finest mash liquor.
What she doesn't drink she sells.

Well, the first time I seen darlin' Cory
she was weavin' through the woods
With a kerosene lantern on her shoulder
and a satchel full of goods.

Please do drop down next Monday.
Please bring me a jug or five.
When the sun comes up on Wednesday
don't figure to be alive.

Don't care if you are livin'.
Don't care if you are dead.
If you're gonna drink my product
then I'm gonna take your bread.

Well, the last time I seen darlin' Cory,
she was wand'rin' through the woods
With a government man behind her.
Gonna grab her for her deeds.

Wake up, wake up, darlin' Cory!
What makes you sleep so sound?
The revenue officers a-comin'
gonna tear your still house down!

Covers by other artists
Artist's Name	ALBUM	CATALOG NO.
N/A	N/A	N/A

Nick Reynolds (vocal (solo #3), guitar), Bob Shane (vocal (solo #2), guitar), Dave Guard (vocal (solo #1 & 4), banjo), Buck Wheat (bass) 10-6-00:
						Personnel: --->>> Tom Drake, Glen Campbell, Tommy Tedesco, Frank Hamilton, Jimmy Bond (bass)


Last revised: April 18, 2006.