Darcy Farrow
| "Darcy Farrow" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
Darcy Farrow is a song written by Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell, and first recorded in 1965 by Ian & Sylvia on their album, Early Morning Rain. Gillette released his first recording of it in 1967 on his self-titled album, Steve Gillette.
The song has been covered by more than 300 artists, including, most notably, John Denver, who recorded it three times and made it famous, Denver included the song in his live performances and it is generally associated with him even though he didn't write it. It is included on the latest tribute album, The Music Is You, A Tribute To John Denver, released on April 2, 2013.[1]
Other artists who recorded Darcy Farrow include Chesapeake, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Nanci Griffith, The Kingston Trio, Tony Rice, Josh Ritter, Linda Ronstadt, and many more.
The song was written in 1964, inspired by something that happened to Gillette's little sister, Darcy, when she was 12. She was running behind her horse, chasing the it into the corral, when she was kicked. She broke her cheekbone, but had no lasting ill effects. Campbell took a melody that Gillette had written and came up with a story about the two young lovers and the tragic fall. The place names are actual places around the region of the high valleys and the Walker River in Nevada, where Tom had lived when he was eight or nine years old.[2]
Tracks on hit albums
- 1965 Ian & Sylvia, Early Morning Rain - #77 on the Billboard 200[3]
- 1967 George Hamilton IV, Folksy - #21 on the Country Albums chart[4]
- 1973 John Denver, Rocky Mountain High - #4 on the Billboard 200[5]
- 1995 John Denver, The Wildlife Concert - #104 on the Billboard 200[6]
- 1997 John Denver, The Best of John Denver Live - #52 on the Billboard 200, #8 on the Country Albums chart[7]
- 1997 Nanci Griffith, Other Voices Too A Trip Back To Bountiful - #85 on the Billboard 200[8]
- 2013 Various Artists (track by Josh Ritter and Barnstar), The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver - #37 on the Billboard 200[9]
References
- ^ "AllMusic.com album page". AllMusic.com album page. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
- ^ Gillette, Steve. "Darcy Farrow Lyrics". Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen website. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
- ^ Ian & Sylvia charting albums Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ George Hamilton IV Folksy Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ^ John Denver Rocky Mountain High Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ John Denver The Wildlife Concert Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ John Denver The Best of John Denver Live Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ Nanci Griffith Other Voices Too A Trip Back To Bountiful Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ Billboard 200 Week Ending 4/07/2013 Retrieved April 11, 2013.