"(Don't This Road Look) Rough and Rocky" is sort of an amalgation of lyrics and music from older songs like "Don't Forget Me, Little Darling", "Little Bunch of Roses" and "Last Gold Dollar".
Via titles like "Who's Gonna Kiss Your Lips, Dear Darling" (1929), "Can't You Hear That Night Bird Crying" (1936)and "(Don't This Road Look) Rough And Rocky" (1945)the song evolved into the definitive version by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs (1954)
In his book, Ozark Folksongs, Vance Randolph found some ten additional songs that share pieces of "Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky."
The version here below seems to be the first recorded version to contain the "(Don't This Road Look) Rough and Rocky" verse.
(o) Carolina Tar Heels (1929) (as "Who's Gonna Kiss Your Lips, Dear Darling")
"Rough And Rocky" has the exact same melody and two similar stanzas as the above mentioned "Can't You Hear That Night Bird Crying" and the lyrics are also contained in "Who's Gonna Kiss Your Lips, Dear Darling" by the Carolina Tar Heels (SEE ABOVE)
Listen here:
(c) Flatt & Scruggs (1954) (as "Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky")
But as we saw earlier on in this post Carolina Tar Heels were the first to use the "ROUGH AND ROCKY" verse in 1929 in "Who's Gonna Kiss Your Lips, Dear Darling")
But maybe they were all influenced by Grayson & Whitter's "A Dark Road Is a Hard Road to Travel".
(o) G.B. Grayson & Henry Whitter (1928) (as "A Dark Road Is a Hard Road to Travel")
Like I said on top of this page "(Don't This Road Look) Rough and Rocky" is sort of an amalgation of lyrics and music from older songs like "Don't Forget Me, Little Darling", "Little Bunch of Roses" and "Last Gold Dollar".
(c) Clarence Greene (1928) ("Little Bunch Of Roses")
Lonesome Valley, a spiritual from both white and black sources, was recorded by the Carter Family in 1930. A.P. Carter probably learned the song from Leslie Riddle , but popular versions by both Vernon Dalhart and Andy Jenkins had been circulating.
The earliest recording of "That Lonesome Valley" was done in 1925 by the Jenkins Family (although there seems to be an unreleased 1924 recording by David Miller --> see further on in this post).
The song has been recorded by many predominently country artists with varying lyrics and under numerous titles, including "Lonesome Valley","I've Got To Walk The Lonesome Valley", "That Lonesome Valley", "Walk That Lonesome Valley", "Jesus Walked The Lonesome Valley", "You Got To Walk That Lonesome Valley", "Everybody Got To Walk This Lonesome Valley" and "John The Baptist".
The song was contained in John Wesley Work's "Folk Song Of The American Negro" (1907).
Billy Ed Wheeler,
(with Jed Peters (=Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber) used “Lonesome Valley” as the core
of a song he called “Reverend Mr Black,” which was released by
the Kingston Trio in 1963 becoming a top ten hit on the Billboard that
year.
“Reverend Mr. Black” was also recorded by Bobby Darin (1963), Faron Young
(1963), and Johnny Cash (1981). Others who have recorded this song are
Tex Ritter, Lonnie Donegan, John Stewart, Tim Grimm, and Sherwin &
Pam Linton.
(c) Billy Ed Wheeler 1963 (as "Reverend Mr. Black")
Recorded October 8, 1963 Nashville, TN
Released on the album New Bag of Songs (Kapp KS-3351)
Billy Edd Wheeler's author's version was recorded and released after the hit-version by the Kingston Trio (who had used Billy Edd Wheeler's DEMO as a guide)
(c) Kingston Trio (1963) (as "Reverend Mr. Black")
John Stewart [vcl/gt/banjo], Nick Reynolds [vcl/gt], Bob Shane [vcl/gt] + Glen Campbell [banjo], Dean Reilly [bass]. Producer: Voyle Gilmore)
Recorded January 23, 1963 Capitol Recording Studio in Hollywood, CA
Released on Capitol 4951
Listen here:
(c) Johnny Cash & The Carter Family (1963) (as "Lonesome Valley")
Carter Family & Johnny Cash (Maybelle Carter [vcl], Helen Carter [vcl], Anita Carter [vcl], June Carter [vcl], Junior Huskey [bass], Bob Johnson. Producer: Don Law & Frank Jones) [overub session on September 4, 1963, Nashville, TN: Johnny Cash [vcl])
Recorded July 8, 1963 in the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, TN
Released in 1964 on the album Keep on the Sunny Side.
Seeger already sang that mixed-up version with Joan Baez around 1962:
This version was released on the album Very Early Joan.
Listen here:
But already in 1944 Woody Guthrie had recorded a version of "Lonesome Valley" which included the "Rough And Rocky" verse. (So that's even before T. Texas Tyler recorded "Rough And Rocky" in 1945 !!!
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