Mudcat Café message #56216 The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #8912   Message #56216
Posted By: rick fielding
28-Jan-99 - 10:56 PM
Thread Name: Origin: Goodnight Irene
Subject: RE: Goodnight Irene Origin
In the recent biography of Leadbelly (sorry I've forgotten the names of the authors but one is named Kyp something) They trace "Irene" back to an old pop song from the turn of the century. Leadbelly's seems to have borrowed a bit from it but like everything he did, by the time he sang it ..boy , was it original.