"Rattlesnake Mountain" is a traditional American folk song derived from one of the earliest known American ballads, "On Springfield Mountain".[1] It is based on the events surrounding the death by snakebite of Timothy Merrick (or Mirick) on August 7, 1761.[2]
| "Rattlesnake Mountain" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Genre | American folk music |
| Songwriter(s) | Traditional |
Recordings
edit- Woody Guthrie on Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs (1940s, released 1989)
- Burl Ives on Historical America in Song (1950)
- Harry Belafonte (1953)
- Bascom Lamar Lunsford on Smoky Mountain Ballads (1953)
- Patrick Sky (1965)
- Sam Hinton on The Wandering Folksong (1966)
- Brooks Williams on Inland Sailor (1994)
- Tara Maclean for the soundtrack of the movie Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
References
edit- ^ Roud Folk Song Index number 431. Laws G16.
- ^ Waltz, Bob. "Remembering The Old Songs: Springfield Mountain" (web reprint from Inside Bluegrass February 2003). Retrieved 2008-03-06.
Merrick, Charles L., "History of Wilbraham", Vermont, Polygraphic Company of America, Inc, 1964
 | This folk song–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |