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Performances – Rare Indigo

My son, when listening at a distance, told me that he kept hearing the line “the fiery and the snuffy are rarin’ to go” as “the fire in Kentucky is a rare indigo.” I’ll have to work at my diction, although he is a big fan of mondegreens.

I blanch at the thought of providing a comprehensive catalog of recordings of this song. It’s received loving attention from singing cowboys, country superstars, folk music heroes, and contemporary innovators. Before we’re done, I hope to give an idea of ways other artists have added color to the song. I’ll focus on a few recent performances, and leave a longer, if still selective, playlist below for those who want to keep following this song’s trail.

I’m particularly grateful when researching and writing these posts for performances that help me hear the song afresh. This week’s winner for the musical revelation category is Rita Hosking.

Hosking converts the song to the first-person perspective of “Pearl Jones.” Her version achieves the paradoxical feat of being completely innovative and remaining completely faithful. She is keen, lonesome, and relentlessly believable. Hosking’s Pearl Jones ends her testimony anticipating that she and Old Paint will “find the purple range that we love the best.” Rare indigo, indeed.

(Studio version here and on the playlist above. I first heard the studio version on an anthology entitled Dark River: Songs of the Civil War Era. As I mention above, I think the odds are long that the song is that old. Even if the song is from the 19th century, it likely didn’t originate earlier than the 1870s. The Montana Territory wasn’t formed until 1864, before which it had different names. Cheyenne, Wyoming, which Hosking’s version mentions, wasn’t founded until 1867. Tying the song to the Civil War era would interpret the length of that era very liberally. Even then, I have my doubts–although not about Hosking’s fine performance.)

Perhaps because of the song’s history with Margaret Larkin, Agnes de Mille, Linda Ronstadt, Nana Mouskouri, Tracy Grammer, and others, I tended to turn my attention to women performers of this song. It may have something to do with taking it out of the “old chestnut” vibe that cowboy artists give to it. It may have to do with a particular kind of accessibility the song has, given its themes. Not far from the fires of Kentucky, Cincinnati’s Ma Crow and the Lady Slippers offer a great bluegrass version:

The ambling waltz tempo of “I Ride an Old Paint” makes edgier performances difficult to pull off. For those interested in a harder-edged, alt-country approach, the Pine Hill Haints take to “Old Paint” with an electric guitar and a saw. They sing something closer to the Guthrie, and the saw is positively eerie.

Here at last, faithful reader and listener, is the long-promised playlist. It is not exhaustive. Think of it as selective, or curated. Some performances appear for historical interest, others for artistic interest. Some appear for both. We’ll add to the playlist over time. I welcome your suggestions for additions. Thanks as always for reading and listening.