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Commercial Hits

Lonely Traveller

Commercial Hits

Sometimes genuine traditional songs that have languished for years, known only to a relatively small group of people, suddenly break out on the strength of a commercial recording that then becomes a hit.

Worried Man Blues is another song that has become a standard in roots music repertoires, but whose exact origins are lost in the mists of 19th century folk music. Its famous opening line, "It takes a worried man to sing a worried song," was popularized on records in 1930, when the famed white singing group The Carter Family recorded it for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Later recordings followed throughout the 30s and 40s, including those by numerous blues singers and folk singers like Woody Guthrie. In 1959 the Kingston Trio recorded a hit single version under the title "A Worried Man," and in 2001 it was used as the theme song for the PBS series American Roots Music.

A similar blues song that emerged as a standard over the years is Corrine, Corrina. This lilting, lyrical lament was popularized by Mississippi bluesman Bo Carter in 1928 on records, and then quickly picked up by western swing founders Milton Brown and Bob Wills. It later found its way into the repertoires of singers like Bob Dylan, and in 1960 it became a pop hit in a version by Ray Peterson.




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