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Little Birdie
Composer: Traditional
Jerry Garcia recordings
Before The Dead, Jerry Garcia, 2018
Other recordings
Al Craver , 192?
Coon Creek Girls, 193?
Perry Westland and the Blue Mountain Boys, 1950
Single, Sauceman Brothers, 1950
Single, Perry Westland & the Blue Mountain Boys, 1950
Single, Stanley Brothers, 1952
Single, Wade Mainer and the Sons of the Mountaineers, 1952
Bowling Green, Kossoy Sisters with Erik Darling, 1956
Banjo Tunes and Songs, Pete Steele, 1958
Mountain Music Of Kentucky, Willie Chapman, 1960
EP, Don Reno, Red Smiley & the Tennessee Cutups, 1961?
The Music of Roscoe Holcomb and Wade Ward, Roscoe Holcomb and Wade Ward , 1962
The Greenbriar Boys, The Greenbriar Boys, 1962
Single, Down State Ramblers, 1962
Folk Concert, Stanley Brothers, 1963
Single, Red Allen and Frank Wakefield, 1963
The Old Reliable String Band, The Old Reliable String Band, 1963
Children's Concert At Carnegie Hall, Pete Seeger, 1963
Single, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, 1964
Single (Little Birdie / You Left Me This Morning), Lee Brothers, 1964
Friends of Old Time Music, Various Artists (Stanley Brothers), 1964
Better Late Than Never, Greenbrier Boys, 1966
Single, Stanley Brothers, 1967
Single (Little Birdie / All The Love I Had Is Gone), Jack Lynch & the Lee Brothers, 1967
Serves 'Em Fine, Hedy West, 1967
Memorial Album, Frank Proffitt, 1968
More Clawhammer Banjo Songs & Tunes, Various Artists (Gaither Carlton), 1969
Banjo Music Of The Southern Appalachians, Various Artists (Robin Roberts), 196?
Pickin And Singin, Jim McCall, 1972
The Man and His Music, Ralph Stanley, 1974
Art Of The Mountain Banjo, Art Rosenbaum, 1975
Walkin' in the Parlor: Old Time Music of the Southern Mountains, Iron Mountain String Band, 1975
Blue Grass Sring Band, Vol. 2, The Virginia Mountain Boys, 1977
20 Years: Concert Performances, The New Lost City Ramblers, 1978
Clawhammer Banjo, Vol. 3, Various Artists (Glen Smith), 1978
Ballads and Railroad Songs, Vernon Dalhart, 1980
Early Radio Favorites, Coon Creek Girls, 1982
Stanley Series, Vol. 2 #1, Stanley Brothers, 1984
Making The Air Resound, Sara Grey and Ellie Ellis, 1985
Stanley Series, Vol. 3 #1, Stanley Brothers, 1987
Rock Dust, Morgan Sexton, 1989
Stanley Series, Vol. 3, No. 3, Stanley Brothers, 1990
Bound To Ride, Ralph Stanley, 1991
1959-1963, Flatt and Scruggs, 1992
Sanders Theater Sing-A-Long, 1980 , Pete Seeger, 1992
Country Music For Kids, Various Artists (Chris Hillman), 1992
Early Years 1958-61, The Stanley Brothers, 1994
Old Time Music, The New Lost City Ramblers & Friends, 1994
Clinch Mountain Bluegrass, Stanley Brothers, 1994
Mountain Music of Kentucky, Various Artists (Willie Chapman), 1996
1971-1973, Ralph Stanley And The Clinch Mountain Boys, 1995
Beyond The City, The Cox Family, 1995
The Music Of Kentucky: Early American Rural Classics 1927-1937, Vol. 2, Various Artists (John Hammond), 1995
Rebel Records: 35 Years of the Best in Bluegrass (1960-1995), Various Artists (Red Allen / Frank Wakefield), 1996
Stanley Series, Vol. 3 #4, Stanley Brothers, 1996
Stanley Series, Vol. 4 #1, Stanley Brothers , 1996
Land Of Yahoe, Various Artists (Ola Belle Reed), 1996
Mountain Music of Kentucky (CD), Various Artists (Willie Chapman), 1996
High Lonesome Sound, Roscoe Holcomb, 1998
Southern Banjo Sounds, Mike Seeger, 1998
This Is Your Land: The Story of American Folk Music, Various Artists (Roscoe Holcomb), 1999
Prairie Bluegrass, Various Artists (The Bray Brothers with Red Cravens), 19??
Hammered Dulcimer Reunion, Cathy Ron Penix, 19??
Holland Puckett, 19??
Sauceman Brothers, 19??
Come Along, John! 8 American folk songs for children, Peggy Seeger with Barbara and Penny Seeger, 19??
Prairie Bluegrass, Bray Brothers & Red Cravens, 2000
Bluegrass Bonanza, Various Artists (Coon Creek Girls), 2001
40 Years of Concert Performances, New Lost City Ramblers, 2001
The Very Best of Ralph Stanley, Ralph Stanley, 2002
Best of the Vanguard Years, The Greenbriar Boys, 2002
Classic Bluegrass From Smithsonian Folkways, Various Artists (Stanley Brothers), 2002
Songcatcher II: The Tradition That Inspired the Movie, Various Artists (Roscoe Holcomb), 2002
Songs from the Heart: The History Of American Folk Music, Various Artists (Roscoe Holcomb), 2002
The King Years 1961-1965, The Stanley Brothers, 2003
Kentucky Mountain Music, Various Artists (Pete Steele), 2003
Keep on Going: The Rebel & Melodeon Recordings, Red Allen, 2004
The Essential Masters, The Stanley Brothers, 2004
An Evening Long Ago: Live 1956, The Stanley Brothers, 2004
The Best of King & Starday Bluegrass, Various Artists (Wade Mainer), 2004
Blazing Bluegrass, Various Artists (Stanley Brothers), 2004
Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest (DVD), New Lost City Ramblers/Greenbriar Boys, 2005
Best Of Red Smiley & The Bluegrass Cut-Ups, Vol. 2, Red Smiley & The Bluegrass Cut-Ups, 2006
True Bluegrass Essentials, Various Artists (Red Allen), 2006
The Definitive Collection 1947-1966, The Stanley Brothers, 2007
Classic Bluegrass Collection, Vols. 1-4, Various Artists (Red Allen), 2007
Notes
Played by the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers in San Carlos on June 11th 1962. Also played by Garcia, solo, at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo on November 10th 1962.
This is another song that shares elements with the Dark Hollow family of songs - it occurs with many variations in the verse and chorus. Two elements of the song that would reappear in the Grateful Dead's music at a later date occur in the version performed by the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers. The kyrics they used are as follows;
Little birdie, little birdie,
Come sing to me a song,
A short time to stay here,
And a long time to be gone.
Rather be in some dark holler,
Where the sun don't never shine,
Than to see you (?)
And to know you'll never be mine.
Little birdie, little birdie,
What makes you fly so high,
It's because my own true lover,
Is waiting in the sky.
Little birdie, little birdie,
Come sing to me a song,
A short time to stay here,
And a long time to be gone.
Neither the dark holler chorus nor the phrases which echo in Box Of Rain occur in all versions of Little Birdie.
The lyrics of the version performed solo by Garcia on 11/10/62 are virtually the same. On the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers tape Garcia introduces the song as first recorded by the Coon Creek Girls.
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