"Shady Grove" is a traditional
Appalachian folk song[1] (Roud 4456),[2] believed to have originated in eastern
Kentucky around the beginning the 20th century.[3] The song was popular among
old-time musicians of the
Cumberlands before being widely adopted in the
bluegrass repertoire.[4] Many variants of "Shady Grove" exist (up to 300
stanzas by the early 21st century).[5]
The lyrics describes "the true love of a young man's life and his hope they will wed,"[6] and it is sometimes identified as a
courting song.[7]
Link to "Matty Groves"
The
Dorian mode melody was first published as "Shady Grove" in the Journal of American Folklore in 1915,[8] but it was traditionally used in
Appalachia for the ballad
Matty Groves, as sung by
traditional singers including
Sheila Kay Adams ("Lady Margaret")[9] and
Dillard Chandler ("Mathie Groves"). This suggests that the melody may originate in
England or
Scotland.[citation needed] The fact that "Shady Grove" and "Matty Groves" share a tune suggests that "Shady Grove" is a variant of "Matty Groves".[citation needed] There is also speculation that the name Shady Grove may be a place-name, a woman's name or nickname, or possibly a
mondegreen.[10]
Popular versions
Doc Watson helped popularize "Shady Grove", after presumably learning it from
Jean Ritchie, who in turn learned the song from her father.[11]
^Jean Ritchie, Jean Ritchie's Swapping Song Book (University Press of Kentucky (1999), pp. 34-37 & Charles Wolfe forward.
^Fiona Ritchie & Doug Orr (2014). Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp. xv, 184-5, 358.
ISBN978-1-4696-1822-7.
^Fiona Ritchie & Doug Orr (2014). Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp. xv, 183, 358.
ISBN978-1-4696-1822-7.
^Ray Allen, Gone to the Country: The New Lost City Ramblers and the Folk Music Revival (
University of Illinois Press, 2010), p. 34.