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Careless Love

Composer: Traditional

Recordings

This list is not intended to be comprehensive.

no info Lester McFarland and Robert.Gardner, 1926
no info Jazz, Vol. 2: The Blues, Various Artists (Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra), 1950
info New Songs from the American Songbag, Carl Sandburg, 1950
no info Footnotes to Jazz, Vol. 1: Baby Dodds Talking and Drum Solos, Baby Dodds, 1951
no info Brownie McGhee Blues, Brownie McGhee Blues, 1955
info Banjo Songs of the Southern Mountain, Various Artists (Harry and Jeannie West), 1955
no info Lonesome Road, Lonnie Johnson, 1956
no info American Folksongs For Men - To You With Love, Bob Ross, 1957
no info One Man Band, Paul Blackman, 1957
info American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 2, Pete Seeger, 1958
no info Music of New Orleans, Vol. 3: Music of the Dance Halls, Various Artists (Billy Pierce and Dee Dee Pierce), 1958
no info St. Louis Blues, Pearl Bailey, 1958
info Sings Ballads, Blues And A Spiritual, Dave Van Ronk, 1959
no info Slim Whitman Sings, Slim Whitman, 1959
no info Folksingers 'Round Harvard Square, Joan Baez, Ted Alevizos, Bill Wood, 1959
info The Country Blues, Various Artists (Lonnie Johnson), 1959
no info New Orleans Street Singer, Snooks Eaglin, 1959
no info Ballads, Blues and a Spritual, Dave Van Ronk, 1959
info Folk Song Hall Of Fame, Hank Hill And The Tennessee Folk Trio, 1960
no info T. Texas Tyler, T. Texas Tyler, 1961
no info Arbee's Blues, Arbee Stidham, 1961
info Modern Sounds In Country and Western, Ray Charles, 1962
info Just Looking For A Home, Jim Glaser & Americana Folk Trio, 1962
no info Jim and Art Sing and Play a Folk Song, Jim Helms and Art Podell, 1962
info Tuff Sax, Ace Cannon, 1962
info Way Out West With, Alex Campbell, 1963
no info 12 String Story, Volume 1, Various Artists (Jim Helms), 1963
no info Music Down Home: An Introduction to Negro Folk Music, U.S.A., Various Artists (Brownie McGhee), 1965
info Gambler's Blues, Dave Van Ronk, 1965
no info The Asch Recordings, 1939 to 1947, Vol. 1: Blues, Gospel,and Jazz, Various Artists (Josh White), 1966
no info Devil Got My Woman, Skip James, 1968
info Black Mountain Blues, Dave Van Ronk, 1968
no info Single, Hardy Brendle and the Virginia Partners, 1969
no info Tomorrow Night, Lonnie Johnson, 1970
info Dock Boggs, Vol. 3, Dock Boggs, 1970
info Pickin And Singin, Jim McCall, 1972
info Second Annual Farewell Reunion, Mike Seeger, 1973
info Country Bluegrass from Southwest Virginia, Glen Neaves and the Virginia Mountain Boys, 1974
info Don Stover & the White Oak Mountain Boys, Don Stover & the White Oak Mountain Boys, 1974
no info Immortal Carson Robinson, Carson Robinson and his Pioneers, 1978
no info Trouble In Mind, Archie Shepp and Horace Parlan, 1981
no info Ida Cox and Bertha Chippie Hill, Ida Cox and Bertha Chippie Hill , 1981
no info Have No Fear Big Joe Is Here, Big Joe Turner, 1982
no info Early Recordings, Vol. 1, 1951) Dauphine Street Jam Session, Emile Barnes, 1982
no info The Perennial, George Lewis, 1982
no info Bad Penny Blues, Humphrey Lyttleton, 1983
no info Buck Johnson and Lu Watters, Buck Johnson and Lu Watters, 1983
no info Crossfire, Spencer Davis, 1984
info Back In The Good Ole Days, Bobby Atkins & the Countrymen, 1984
no info Boogie Woogie Baby, Fats Domino, 1985
no info Collection, Memphis Slim, 1986
no info Bessie Smith Songbook, Dinah Washington, 1986
no info Banjo Man - Tribute To Earl Scruggs, Carl Jackson, 1988
no info Tomorrow Night, Lonnie Johnson, 1988
no info Greatest Country and Western Hits, Ray Charles, 1989
no info Bosses Of The Blues, Big Joe Turner, 1989
info American Banjo: Three Finger and Scruggs Style, Various Artists (Snuffy Jenkins), 1990
info Banjo Man: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs, Carl Jackson, 1990
no info Tuff Sax/Moaning Sax, Ace Cannon, 1991
no info The Folkways Years 1945-1959, Bownie McGhee, 1991
info Bluegrass 1959-1969, Bill Monroe, 1991
no info Complete Recordings, Vol. 2, 1924-1925), Bessie Smith, 1991
info The Folkways Years 1959-1961, Dave Van Ronk, 1991
no info Son of Rounder Banjo, Various Artists, 1992
no info Goin' Back To New Orleans, Dr John, 1992
no info Complete Folkways Recordings, Lonnie Johnson, 1993
info Beat It, Blow It, Strum It, Hum It, Sunshine Skiffle Band, 1992
info Rare, Live and Classic, Joan Baez, 1993
no info Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band, Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band, 1994
no info Lead Belly's Last Sessions, Leadbelly, 1994
info Edison Recordings 1928, Ernest V. Stoneman, 1996
no info Bourgeois Blues, Leadbelly Legacy, Vol. 2, Leadbelly, 1997
info His Folkways Years: 1963-1968, Dock Boggs, 1998
info Complete Country & Western Recordings 1959-1986, Ray Charles, 1998
info Root 5: Bass and Banjo, Marshall Wilborn, 1999
no info Mountain Blues, Various Artists (Jimmy Tarlton), 19??
no info Spencer Williams, 19??
no info Bluegrass Bonanza, Various Artists (Ernest V. Stoneman & His Dixie Mountaineers), 2001
info Some Old Lonesome Day, Lauren Sheehan, 2003
info Appalachian Angel: Her Recordings 1950-1972, Anita Carter, 2004
info In the Mountaintops to Roam, David Peterson & 1946, 2006
info Big Judy: How Far This Music Goes (1962-2004), Judy Henske, 2007
info Three Score And Ten, Peggy Seeger, 2007
info Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 1 & 2, Ray Charles, 2009
info Gennett Old Time Music: Classic Country Recordings 1927-1934, Various Artists (Byrd Moore), 2010

Notes

This song dates back to at least the early 1900s. It became very popular in the 1920's following W. C. Handy's adaptation 'Loveless Love' and was widely recorded. The first field collection of the song was made in 1911 by Howard Odum as Kelly's Love. Possibly derives in part from British songs I Wish I Wish and What A Voice.

Occurs on the "Unident Thing" tape that features Garcia and Pigpen. Date and venue are unknown. The version on the tape is only a brief opening to the song. It quickly breaks down, with the singer calling "Jerry I need some funk up here", and segues into In The Pines. For what it's worth here are the lyrics that occur;

Oh love, oh love, oh careless love,
Love, oh love, oh careless love,
Oh love, oh love, oh careless love,
You see what careless love will do.