I Wish I Was In Bowling Green (1947)

The Originals © by Arnold Rypens - I WISH I WAS IN BOWLING GREEN

Cousin Emmy was born Cynthia May Carver in 1903 in Barren County, Kentucky, near the Tennessee border. The first woman to win the National Old Fiddlers contest in Louisville in 1936, Cousin Emmy achieved national acclaim as a “banjo pickin’ girl” from Kentucky. Carver began her radio career playing banjo in a string band with two of her cousins; later she taught a young Grandpa Jones how to play frailing-style banjo.
Cousin Emmy made few recordings but, in 1947,  folklorist Alan Lomax arranged for Carver to sign with Decca Records and also included her music in his anthology of field recordings, Kentucky Mountain Ballads. On this collection she played banjo and sang ao “Pretty Little Miss Out in the Garden”,  “I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again.”, "Ruby" (her only 78 released) and the song, the song where this post is about: "I Wish I Was In Bowling Green". 
It was based on an old fiddle-tune from central Kentucky (according to D.K. Wilgus)

Cousin Emmy recorded the song on April 12, 1946, possibly in Chicago.
It was released on the Decca-label (# 24214)



Listen here:





The 78 above was contained in the 78-album pictured below:



If you want to take a closer look in the Cousin Emmy-album pictured above click on the LINK BELOW (scroll down to the bottom and click on the album-sheets and click again to enlarge the album-sheets)

http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?print=yes&q=record_ID:nmah_1213330



A very beautiful version was done by the Kossoy Sisters (& Erik Darling: banjo) in 1956 on the album: "Bowling Green and other Folk Songs from the Southern Mountains" (Tradition TLP 1018 LP)
Details about this album can be found on the next link:

 http://clancybrothersandtommymakem.com/trad_1018_bowling_green.htm



Listen to the Kossoy Sisters and Erik Darling here:





In 1961 at a “Country & Western Night performance” at the Disneyland Resort in 1961, Cousin Emmy happened to meet the New Lost City Ramblers, who accompanied her on an album, that was released in 1968 on the Folkways label (FT 1015).








The liner-notes of the album ABOVE are here:
http://folklife-media01.si.edu/liner_notes/folkways/FW31015.pdf


On the video BELOW is Cousin Emmy and The New Lost City Ramblers singing "Bowling Green" from the album above. They recorded the song in 1967. Cousin Emmy had a career revival due to the folk era, and even got to perform at the Newport Folk Festival. The video is made of photos from her beloved mountains and her co-performers.





Also covered by:
Weavers (1958)




Brothers Four (1962) (Wish I was in Bowling Green)

https://www.discogs.com/Brothers-Four-Cross-Country-Concert/release/5241897

Listen to a sample here:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/brothers-four-in-person-cross-country-concert-mw0000671751





Alice Gerrard & Mike Seeger (1980)
Spring Creek Bluegrass Band (2007) (Bowling Green)
Blue Harvest (2007) (Bowling Green)
Annie Lou (2009) (Bowling Green)
Alela & Alina (2009) (Bowling Green)
I Draw Slow (2010) (Bowling Green)
Dehlia Low (2010) (Bowling Green)
Molly Tenenbaum (2010) (Bowling Green)
Della Mae (2010) (Bowling Green)
Clay County (2012) (Bowling Green)



NOT TO BE CONFUSED with "Bowling Green" written by Terry Slater and Jackie Ertel and first recorded by the Everly Brothers.

Here's a DEMO of the Everly Brothers from 1967