Welcome to “Some Dark Holler”: a murder ballad podcast! What’s a murder ballad? Well, it’s a song that tells a story about… you guessed it… murder! They started before radio, television, and was an original way to tell true crime stories, and chill its listeners to the bone with their darkly intriguing stories! Join folk singers, Broadway and tv actors Amelia Cormack and Allison Guinn as they sing the traditional murder ballads, tell their true crime origin, and then write their own ballad about each story! If you love true crime, folk music, and spooky folklore, this podcast is for you!
Episode 19: Knoxville Girl
Oh my word! It’s been 7 months since we recorded this!
Life, theater jobs got in the way, but finally we got our frickin’ ducks in a row and we have to present to you, with many trials and errors, an episode based on my (Allison here) favorite murder ballad: Knoxville Girl.
This was the first murder ballad I’d ever heard, and was horrified and fascinated all at the same time!
Little did I know when researching this song, I’d fall down a rabbit hole leading all the way to England and a miller!
Have a listen to our playlist accompanying this episode: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/knoxville-girl-sdh-episode-19/pl.u-gxblM4JC55rxAo
Main source is www.planetslade.com
Thanks to Paul Slade for helping me figure out the last stanza of the Arthur Tanner version!
11 Mar 2025
Episode 18: Railroad Bill
Welcome back!! We hope you’re enjoying the podcast - we’d love to hear from you! In yet another after hours episode, this week Amelia tells yet another outlaw story! This is becoming a habit! We look at the wild story of the incredible, elusive, mysterious Railroad Bill - both his exploits and the extraordinary story of what happened to him after death... We also announce a slight programming adjustment which we hope will ensure we’re bringing you our best every episode.
Spotify Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0kYiiTvwSKsl3fwjhbwdvV?si=18dab01f384e480f
Sources:
Sources - ‘The Life & Crimes of Railroad Bill: Legendary African American Desperado’ by Larry L Massey, encyclopediaofalabama.com, and pancocojams.blogspot.com
Send us an email: cormackandguinn@gmail.com
18 Feb 2025
Episode 17: Jealous Lover in a Lone Green Valley
This time we give you 3 songs in one episode! Hear the more than unhinged story of Pearl Drew the Murderous Mississippi Poetess, and the murder ballad that inspired her!
Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QICy0rHKJYNsthGlumjHE?si=WM80i0P4QdumEcrIa0eaNw
Sources:
Time.com Murder in Rhyme
Newspapers.com: “Poet from Miss confesses to Murder in poems.” The Evening Journal, Wilmington, Delaware, Fr, Jan 10, 1930
“Confessed Her Fatal Love Vengence” TheOgden Standard Examiner. 19 Jan 1930
Convicting the Innocent by Edwin Bouchard, published 1930.
CrimeSong by Richard H. Underwood
4 Feb 2025
Episode 16: Corkery’s Farewell
The Murder of PC Lines, Hanging of Jeremiah Corkery and the Real Peaky Blinders!
We’ve headed back to Blighty for this week’s episode and delved further into the world of the Gallows Ballad. Amelia examines the real Peaky Blinders, how they differed from the TV series’ portrayal, and looks at the tragic murder of PC Lines and the harrowing account of the hanging of the perpetrator Jeremiah Corkery. She also comes up with a rather silly suggestion for preventing this kind of violence…
Sources - Paul Slade, planetslade.com, ‘Peaky Blinders: The Real Story’ by Carl Chinn, thecultural.me, and Wikipedia.
Instead of a Spotify playlist this week, we’re going to direct you to Paul Slade’s fantastic Gallows Ballad Project, where you might soon see a submission from us! Head to: https://www.planetslade.com/planetslade-music02.html
21 Jan 2025
Episode 15: Young Freda Bolt
It’s Some Dark Holler Day! And this episode, we bring you the sad story of Freeda Bolt! A young girl from Virginia who elopes with her sweetheart in hopes of a happily ever after. Alas, what happens next is the theme of the ballad Young Freda Bolt. We sing and tell her story and Allison rewrites history for her version of the song.
Sources:
Appalachianhistory.net “The Story of Freeda Bolt” posted by Dave Tabler
Roanoke Times, Thursday, December 19, 1929
Theroanoker.com “Strange Days of Roanoke: Murder on the Mountain” by Nelson Harris, October 26, 2021
Crimesong by Richard H. Underwood
Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/07T7TOa0lCHNJtfJk5e3l2?si=Rcbm170BS0akgx1So6nXSg
Link to Planned Parenthood: plannedparenthood.org
7 Jan 2025
Episode 14: Cruel Elizabeth Vickers
IT'S SOME DARK HOLLER TUESDAY!! We're back in your podcast feed every 2nd Tuesday. IN this week's episode, we FINALLY leave North Carolina, and in fact the US of A! Amelia tells us the story of the truly awful and irredeemable Elizabeth Vickers, and her murder of William Jones in Brixton, London in the 1850s. Sources for this episode - Paul Slade and planetslade.com, the British Newspaper Archive, Wikipedia and The Slaveholder Abroad or Buck's Visit With His Master to England.
Spotify link to The JetSonics “Cruel Elizabeth Vickers”: https://open.spotify.com/track/38NYlq7ugr1KCbrMRk9jlG?si=8n66lmUzTkudW6yO_t8Q3g
YouTube link to Wagon Train theme song:
https://youtu.be/DG12dJfX1QM
25 Dec 2024
Episode 13: The Ballad of Frankie Silver
Episode 13: The Ballad of Frankie Silver
Wow! It’s been a while! BUT WE’RE BACK with a new episode just in time for Christmas! This ballad has all the components to make a great A24 film: The remote Appalachian woods, a bleak snowy night, a drunk abusive white man, a small pissed off woman, and AN AXE, and a legacy that leaves us asking WHY! We’ll discuss the ins and outs of one of the most famous murder ballads of all time and sing the old and new version of her infamous story!
Spotify Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0xOSGdNPaQ7LffA8abKwEQ?si=yj1MLNsiT9uD_ClbTImpbQ
Sources:
Folkstreams.net “The Ballad and the Legends of Frankie Silver: A Search for the Woman’s Voice by Daniel Patterson
Die With It In You: The Legend of Frankie Silver (1831) from the Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhem Podcast by Mindy Hudson
The Untold Story of Frankie Silver by Perry Deane Young
Story by Bobby McMillon:
https://youtu.be/qAFT4OwNhSg?si=MNdSM8M4KSYywLy
14 Sept 2024
Episode 12: Stagolee (Part 2)
Welcome to Stagolee Part 2! In this episode we hear how Lee Shelton may have got the nickname ‘Stack’, how the ballad circulated throughout the country in a multitude of musical and cultural forms, crossing racial divides, and how its legacy can still be seen in the music of today.
Sources - Hear My Sad Story, by Richard Polenberg
- Stagolee Shot Billy by Cecil Brown
- Wikipedia
Spotify Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/502Tb2TI78URZzIYiW1nSe?si=ykYAUUZaTtGWmalUMHw0IA&pi=a-VVlhNzoiTh-n
28 Aug 2024
Episode 11: Stagolee
On this week’s episode we have the first of another 2 parter, this time told by Amelia! we cover the fascinating and very culturally significant Stagolee aka Stacker Lee aka Stack O’Lee. Here who exactly Stack Lee was and why over 450 versions of the song have been recorded, in almost as many different iterations! And who knew a Stetson could be the cause of so much trouble?! Sources: Stagolee Shot Billy by Cecil Brown, Hear My Sad Story by Richard Polenberg
Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/08Zvk6x1xGL0GRW5vd1kY3?si=omZT_NFGQ_6EP3W_9Z0gyw
13 Aug 2024
Episode 10: Tom Dula (part two)
Episode 10: Tom Dula (part two)
Amelia and Allison (and our special guest) carry on with the highly dramatic “love pentagon” of Tom Dula! Find out what happens to poor Laura and who got away with it! All ending with Allison’s ballad of the secret instigator of this whole mess! Also please note our accompanying playlist of all the various versions of The Ballad of Tom Dooley to enhance your listening experience: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7jxcETWFugDvyVdELTyTK0?si=Hxk84g_bSby7pAny49nCDg
Sources: The True Story of Tom Dooley by John Edward Fletcher PhD, Unprepared to Die by Paul Slade, and The Ballad of Tom Dooley by John Foster West
31 Jul 2024
Episode 9: Tom Dula (part one)
Episode 9: Tom Dula (part one)
Dula? Dooley? Potato? Potahto?
Amelia and Allison dive deep into the real story behind one of the most popular songs responsible for the big folk boom of the 50s and 60s.
This one is SCANDALOUS! Fetch your smelling salts and clutch your pearls as Allison tells the true story of the “round-heeled” Tom Dula!
Sources: The True Story of Tom Dooley by John Edward Fletcher PhD, Unprepared to Die by Paul Slade, and The Ballad of Tom Dooley by John Foster West
Spotify Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7jxcETWFugDvyVdELTyTK0?si=zo4nSGFeQ2yqdYhNzYc5TA
16 Jul 2024
Special Episode 8: A Necessary Hiatus (Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First)
Special Episode 8 - A Necessary Hiatus (Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First)
WE’RE BAAAAAACK!!! Did you miss us? So our return episode marks a departure from our regularly scheduled programming… Amelia tells her story and the reason behind our absence. Trigger Warning - this episode discusses PMADs (Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders) and suicidal ideation.
In NYC and the US:
The Motherhood Center
https://themotherhoodcenter.com/
Postpartum Support International
https://www.postpartum.net/
In Australia:
https://www.cope.org.au/new-parents/postnatal-mental-health-conditions/asking-help/
7 May 2024
Episode 7: Delia’s Gone
It’s SOME DARK HOLLER DAY!! On this week’s episode we finally leave North Carolina and take you to the state of Georgia. We cover the tragic murder of young Delia Green at the hands of her also young boyfriend, Moses ‘Cooney Houston’. Her death inspired songs which crossed borders, and generations, sung by the likes of Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. And Amelia adds her own song to this legacy, attempting to right some of the wrongs done to her character over the years.
Source material: ‘Delia’ by John Garst, ‘Sing Out! Delia/Delia’s Gone: A Digital Compendium 1900-1992’ by Patrick Blackman, ‘The Sad Song of Delia Green and Cooney Houston’ by Sean Wilentz, and ‘Murder By Gaslight: Delia’s Gone, One More Round’.
Spotify link to playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0tvvHjUKy2CNO3Ol1O5hwO?si=lL9bTQ2iTdCvsjuHVjq4ew&pi=u--TABYgtuTiCM YouTube Link to Johnny Cash’s Delia’s Gone Video: https://youtu.be/Y1iKEPzF1Js?si=wqgmVzqTpM0mQCzV SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS! 15% off the amazing book ‘You’re Not a Real Parent Until…’ by Scott Dooley and Jason Chatfield using promo code DARKHOLLER at yourenotareal.com
23 Apr 2024
Episode 6: Poor Ellen Smith
Episode 6: Poor Ellen Smith
*AUDIO NOTE: there is a mildly annoying rattle of our mics throughout that Allison only noticed after recording and could not be edited out. My apologies. Lesson learned. Thank you for your patience
In our 6th episode we stay in Good Ol’ North Carolina in the late 1800’s as we sing and tell the story behind the ballad of Poor Ellen Smith. Another good gal lead astray with the promise of romance and love. We tell her story and Allison rewrites the tragedy making Ellen “get a bit of her own back” as Amelia likes to say in a song entitled “Hell Hath No Fury”. Also we go on a few ridiculous tangents that are of upmost importance 🤪.
Sources: Unafraid To Die by Paul Slade, Hear My Sad Story by Richard Polenberg, and an article in the New York Times: “Across Generations, Traces of a Poor Maid’s Murder” by Dan Barry
Link to “Ellen Smith” by Henry Whitter: https://youtu.be/83TW_crEcjg?si=3Dpa76JHIL1M_Zp2
Spotify Playlist of Other Versions: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6C8w0EWxSXp5GmB7BUe8UN?si=jszdxWYRTdq3iXTGKXj1Qw
9 Apr 2024
Episode 5: The Lawson Family Tragedy
CONTENT WARNING: This episode may be upsetting for some audiences! Listening Discretion Advised.
In Episode 5, Amelia dives into the dark story that’s behind the ballad of the Lawson Family. This one is grim! BUT Allison does the best she can to try to bring up the mood somewhat, with questionable success. For this one, we go back to… you guessed it, NORTH CAROLINA during Christmas in 1930, where a father’s reprehensible choices lead to the worst tragedy imaginable!
Allison and Amelia sing the unusually cheerful original murder ballad entitled: The Murder Of The Lawson Family. Then after discussing the true events of this horrific ordeal, the gals sing a haunting original ballad by Amelia entitled “Hey Charlie, Just Leave!” Which is what he SHOULD have done!
Amelia has made a wonderful Spotify Playlist where you can hear many different versions of the original ballad, click here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4igVggPk1ZcNVcHrYQiU6P?si=8696eacd36de4f49
Source Material: White Christmas, Bloody Christmas by M. Bruce Jones and Trudy J. Smith
The Meaning Of Our Tears by Trudy J. Smith
Link to RAINN: The Nation’s Largest Anti-Sexual Violence Organization:
https://www.rainn.org/
Or call 800-656-HOPE
For Australia, contact 1800Respect: https://www.1800respect.org.au/
26 Mar 2024
Episode 4: Poor Omie Wise (Part 2)
In Episode 4, we have the second part of The Ballad of Poor Omie Wise! In the last episode we told Braxton Craven’s flowery, fairytale-like version of the story, and in part 2, we get to the truth behind the life of a single mother done wrong by her conniving boyfriend! Also, Allison rewrites the story in her own version of the ballad at the end of the episode! If we’re gonna have a fairytale, let’s let Naomi live happily ever after!
Source material: Naomi “Omie” Wise: Her Life, Death and Legend
By Hal E. Pugh and Eleanor Minnock-Pugh
Playlist of popular versions of the ballad including the first recorded version of Omie Wise by Vernon Dalhart!: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6myWyNwL7ZK0Wk3eTq4Cec?si=-0p_BoXNS5KWptr8_H7W5g
Thanks to Ted Olson and Ronald Roach, professors of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University for their help in research!
12 Mar 2024
Episode 3: Poor Omie Wise (Part 1)
In our third episode, we explore yet another reason why you SHOULD NOT GO DOWN BY THE RIVER! We head back to North Carolina to sing and discuss the ballad of POOR OMIE WISE. Naomi Wise was just like any single mom wanting to have it all in the early 1800’s, that is, until she met John Lewis!
Source material: Naomi “Omie” Wise: Her Life, Death and Legend
By Hal E. Pugh and Eleanor Minnock-Pugh
Playlist of popular versions of the ballad including the first recorded version of Omie Wise by Vernon Dalhart!: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6myWyNwL7ZK0Wk3eTq4Cec?si=-0p_BoXNS5KWptr8_H7W5g (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6myWyNwL7ZK0Wk3eTq4Cec?si=-0p_BoXNS5KWptr8_H7W5g)
Thanks to Ted Olson and Ronald Roach, professors of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University for their help in research!
27 Feb 2024
Episode 2: The Wild Colonial Boy
We head to the land of Amelia’s birth- Australia! The Wild Colonial Boy is one of the most famous folk songs in Australia, but who exactly was he? What’s a bushranger? And have you ever wondered what a real Tasmanian Devil looks and sounds like? All this and more in SOME DARK HOLLER Episode 2! Playlist : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5v5DRR7qXQ8oMN44sZ7B9p?si=_Ig3fRSEQReSiCmxHYc15w&pi=u-zwOLeH_jTMSS
13 Feb 2024
Episode 1: Frankie and Johnny
Episode 1: Frankie and Johnny
In our first ever episode, Amelia and Allison tackle one of the biggies: the ballad of Frankie and Johnny! Alan “Albert” Britt and Frances “Frankie” Baker were a young couple in St. Louis 1899 when an infamous argument ended their relationship and started a song that would haunt Francis for the rest of her life! Make sure to check out our Spotify playlist of all the versions of the famous ballad to see how the story gets twisted and turned around: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/03GvE3vV3Ix66TLl4TbKRI?si=GcmTQCz3SoKYtTdMZyIXLQ
Research source: Hear My Sad Story by Richard Polenberg
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
13 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
54
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
77
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