| "Long Black Veil" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Lefty Frizzell | ||||
| B-side | "When It Rains The Blues" | |||
| Released | April 20, 1959 (U.S.) | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | March 3, 1959 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | Columbia Records 4-41384 | |||
| Writer(s) | Marijohn Wilkin and Danny Dill | |||
| Producer | Don Law | |||
| Lefty Frizzell singles chronology | ||||
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"Long Black Veil" is a 1959 country ballad, written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin and originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell.
A saga song, "Long Black Veil" is told from the point of view of an executed man falsely accused of murder. He refuses to provide an alibi, since on the night of the murder he was having an affair with his best friend's wife, and would rather die and take their secret to his grave than admit the truth. The chorus describes the woman's mourning visits to his gravesite, wearing a long black veil and enduring a wailing wind.
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The writers later stated that they drew on three sources for their inspiration: Red Foley's recording of "God Walks These Hills With Me", a contemporary newspaper report about the unsolved murder of a priest, and the legend of a mysterious veiled woman who regularly visited Rudolph Valentino's grave. Dill himself called it an "instant folksong."
Wilkin played piano on the original recording by Frizzell. The song was a departure from Frizzell's previous honky tonk style and was a deliberate move toward the current popularity of folk-styled material and the burgeoning Nashville sound.
Recorded in Nashville in 1959 by Lefty Frizzell and produced by Don Law, the single reached No. 6 on Billboard Hot C&W Sides chart. In the process, the song became Frizzell's best-performing single in five years.
"Long Black Veil" has become a standard and has been covered by a variety of artists in country, folk and rock styles. The biggest cover version was a No. 26 country hit by Sammi Smith in 1974.
The song has also appeared on landmark albums by Johnny Cash and The Band in 1968 (see list below), and charted again in 1999 with the Dave Matthews Band, who performed the song live with Emmylou Harris at a Johnny Cash tribute concert. Early in her career, Joan Baez incorporated the song into her live repertoire, and recorded it twice (see list below). The song appeared on Marianne Faithfull's Rich Kid Blues, recorded in 1971, but shelved until 1985.
The song was performed by Bruce Springsteen on his 2006 Seeger Sessions Band Tour. The chorus is frequently sung by Bruce Hornsby during live performances of his song "White Wheeled Limousine". It was covered in September 2009 by Harry Manx on his album "Bread and Buddha" and more recently, in October 2009, by Rosanne Cash on her album The List. A version by Scottish rock band Nazareth was never released on an album, but is played at live concerts.
Mick Jagger also recorded a version of "Long Black Veil" with The Chieftains for that group's album of the same name. The ending of the Kings of Leon song "Cold Desert" is also influenced by "Long Black Veil".. Also recorded by Mike Ness
On the 2011 album by Jason Boland & the Stragglers , Rancho Alto , the song 'False Accuser's Lament' is a follow up to the song , from a witness' view of the events and his role that was played.