Little Black Book: Darcy Farrow

John Denver: Darcy Farrow

[purchase]

Darcy Farrow is a straight-up folk song first recorded in 1965 by Ian & Sylvia, and since recorded by dozens of country and folk musicians, including John Denver, Nanci Griffith, and Jimmy Dale Gilmore. The song was written by Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell. The John Denver version is the only one I own, so that's what you get. If anyone has the original, please pass it my way and I'll include it in the post.

This is a traditional, travis picked, folk tune that tells the tragic story of Darcy Farrow, who was the most beautiful flower that bloomed o'er the range. Local boy, Vandamere, pledged his love to her, but before they could wed, Darcy died in an accident. Soon after, Vandamere put a bullet through his brain.

According to Gillette, the song was inspired by a non-fatal accident that his sister, Darcy, had when she was 12. Tom Campbell wrote the words, with the real Darcy's experience acting as little more than a launching point.

Music is always a personal experience, in the end, and for me I have at least two reasons to love this song, besides the fact that it sounds great:

1 - It's relatively easy to play on the guitar, but sounds hard to play. This kind of thing is gold when it comes to impressing the uninitiated.
2 - I have spent a lot of time in and around the Carson Valley, Virginia City, and Truckee so the scenery is easy for me to imagine.

... Enjoy