Your Favorite Traditional Ballad

Auld Lang Syne.

The Water Is Wide

Emmylou has got this nailed, look no further.

Traditional? Or just more mainstream?

Arguably, any song telling a story could be called ballads, couldn’t they?

OK, so for the traditional (?) side …IMO

99 bottles of Beer on the Wall? ... maybe not, but it sure is traditional.

Irish Tenors version of ‘Danny Boy’.

lefty Frizzell’s – ‘Saginaw Michigan’.

“Seven Spanish Angels”, ‘Pancho & Lefty’

John Cash has plenty of them, “Wreck of the Old ‘97” & “big river” I like most though, with The Ballad of John Henry’ a long standing fav.

Shenandoah

Will the Circle Be Unbroken

The Circle Game.

Non traditional, non mainstream… IMO

On Dar Williams, “Cry, Cry, Cry”, there are two very good ones, “Cold Missouri Waters”, and Ballad of mary Magdalen. “Shades of Grey” is also there, but it’s a lot of other places too.

KK wrote one called “Pilgrim ch 33” I like a lot.

Robin & Linda Williams. do one on their Sugar for Sugar album; called “The Cheapest Kind” I simply can’t hear too often.

Hank Jr. does one on a tribute album called the Tribute to Bocephus, The Songs of Hank W. Jr.’ entitled ‘Outlaws Reward’ that has some great harmonies.

How do you get past Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory”? or is that a rock anthem instead?

The ‘Boss’ does justice to some too… as on the tribute to John Cash, “Kindred Spirits” album with the cut entitled ‘Give My Love to Rose’.

‘Old Hippie’ Bellamy Brothers

Tom T. Hall – ‘Old Dogs, Children & Watermelon Wine’, Ballad of Forty Dollars

Ray Wylie hubbard – ‘Mississippi Flush’, and ‘Conversation with the Devil

Joe Ely – Gallo Del Cieilo & his version of R E Keen Jr. The Road Goes On Forever’ are super.

Charlie Sizemore does one called ‘Turn it On, Turn it On’ about a guy who didn’t make the WW II cut and sets out to quiet his more outspoken critics.

John Cash has plenty of them, “Wreck of the Old ‘97” & “big river” I like most though with The Ballad of John Henry’ a long standing fav.

Cross eyed Child., by John Hartford, talking about Bill Monroe’s early life.

Stephen Stills - Southern Cross

Monty & The Pythons – boys of ’44, RE WW II’s D Day investment.

Dereilers – ‘Play Me the Waltz of the Angels’.

Man, there are so many and to me, the diff between a good ballad and a great one is the emotional connection. So by that criterion, the list is highly personal. A few of my favorites:

Nancy Griffith's cover of Townes van Zant's Tecumseh Valley

EmmyLou Harris- Most anything from Angel Band if you are counting gospel. Otherwise (and more contemporary), Broken Man's Lament or Kern River.

Richard and Linda Thompson- Bee's Wing

Jackson Browne- After the Deluge (not a traditional ballad but a ballad nonetheless, IMO).

Patty Loveless- You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive

Dimming of the Day- lots of covers; maybe Bonnie Raitt or Richard Thompson.

Eddie From Ohio- Minnesota 1945

Vince Gill- Pretty Little Adriana

Michelle Shocked- Anchorage