Tom Dooley

In 1958, the then-unknown Kingston Trio revolutionized popular music in America when a radio DJ in Salt Lake City began playing a single cut from the group's debut album over and over and calling other jocks around the country and getting them to do the same. Popular demand for the song prompted a reluctant Capitol Records to release the song as a single; its sales quickly hit a million units, shot up to two, and kept going.

The song, of course, was an old North Carolina folk song, "Tom Dooley," the ballad of Civil War veteran Thomas Dula, who was hanged for a murder that many believe he did not commit. The hit song was the direct impetus that led to the boom in interest in acoustic folk music, both traditional and popularized, that swept the US in the late 50's through the mid 60s, leading in turn to folk-rock and singer/songwriter waves that later dominated the air waves.

This rendition by The Chilly Winds (from the 2006 Mountain Music Festival in Colorado) attempts to capture the feel of the original album cut by the Kingston Trio and was presented in response to a request from the audience by a young lady who was born much too late to remember the original but was far too fetching to ignore.
Bass accompaniment and additional vocals by Rick Jarusiewisc.


The Chilly Winds debut CD Live In Colorado,including enhanced digital audio of our "Tom Dooley", is available by mail order from

thechillywinds@sbcglobal.net

for $15.00 including S&H.


You can visit the Chilly Winds online at their homepage:

http://thechillywinds.blogspot.com

and on MySpace:

http://myspace.com/sensei48

Category:

Music

Tags:

• KingstonTrio
• Tom
• Dooley
• folk
• song
• Chilly
• Winds

[paganamber]

but there were four of em



[sensei48]

@paganamber - well, the Kingston Trio, who first recorded this version, had a bass player, so they were actually a quartet. We Chilly Winds also employed a bass player here - our usual bassist Dave Batti was doing another gig at the time, so we were delighted to be accompanied by our bass-playing friend Rick Jarusiewisc.

[DaraghPhelan]

Great song well sung!!

[jeriwho]

Great job!  Really nice!

[333nile]

is ok

but my teacher sings better :)

[urkingod]

never heard of it .. must be an American thing... good for you America !

[sensei48]

@Destiny4511 - meant to thank you for your clarifying comment. We knew this, of course, as most performers of the song do, but it's nice to have it here under the video as an explanatory comment.

[Destiny4511]

@sensei48 In North Carolina, and most of Appalachia at the time, there was no such thing as a short "A" on the end of a word. So "Dula" was pronounced "Due-Lay", and over time morphed into "Dooley". That's also how the Grand Ol' Opry came from Grand Old Opera" (Op-Ray, Op-Ree)"

[TomDooleySings]

Great version. My favorite is Tomas Dooley by a Mexican group as a cha-cha. My great great uncle was a Texas Ranger, so I would always say the Dooleys were in law enforcement and the Dulas were not. After the Dooley Cousins' DNA project, I quit saying it, as the Dulas and Dooleys DNA has numerous identical markers. TD. I was a folk singer in the 60s but I never would sing it.

[The500miles]

Nice....

[sweetcharlie63]

Yes, I heard of him, who knows if I was related to that one or not? My uncle Tom is still alive here in St. Louis. From what my grandfather told me, we were related to the real Tom Dooley. He (my Grandfather) was full of exaggerated stories. LOL

[sensei48]

Well sweetcharlie, your uncle also shares the name with Dr.Tom Dooley, who in the 1950s and early 60s before the war heated up was an angel of mercy to the poor and sick, esp. children, in Vietnam. He sadly died of cancer in his 30s.