African American cowboy Charley Willis was recognized as a singing cowboy who authored the popular trail song, “Goodbye Old Paint.” Willis was a skilled cowhand who not only sang songs from the trail but who contributed to preserving authentic cowboy music from the era. Charley Willis was born in 1847 in Milam County, outside of Austin, Texas. Freed after the Civil War he headed to West Texas at age eighteen and found work breaking wild horses at the Morris Ranch in Bartlett, Texas. In 1871, at age twenty-four, he rode the Chisholm Trail one thousand miles north into Wyoming Territory as a drover. Charley was musically knowledgeable and talented. He became known for the songs he brought back from the trail. In 1885 Willis taught his favorite song, “Good-bye Old Paint,” to Morris’s seven-year-old son, Jess. As an adult Jess Morris became known as a talented fiddler, and though credited with authoring “Good-bye Old Paint,” he was quick to clarify that had he learned the song from Charley Willis as a child. In 1947 John Lomax, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist, recorded Morris singing and playing Willis’ song, “Good-bye Old Paint,” and later sent it to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress where it is preserved.
Thank you for sharing details about the African-American roots of this song. For those interested, Stephen Wade devotes a chapter to Jess Morris and Goodbye Old Paint in his wonderful book The Beautiful Music All Around Us- Field Recordings and the American Experience.
Besides being an artful luthier, Jason Romero, like the equally terrific Pharis, is a gifted musician. Together they consistently offer the most listenable acoustic music available anywhere. First rate.
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African American cowboy Charley Willis was recognized as a singing cowboy who authored the popular trail song, “Goodbye Old Paint.” Willis was a skilled cowhand who not only sang songs from the trail but who contributed to preserving authentic cowboy music from the era.
Charley Willis was born in 1847 in Milam County, outside of Austin, Texas. Freed after the Civil War he headed to West Texas at age eighteen and found work breaking wild horses at the Morris Ranch in Bartlett, Texas. In 1871, at age twenty-four, he rode the Chisholm Trail one thousand miles north into Wyoming Territory as a drover. Charley was musically knowledgeable and talented. He became known for the songs he brought back from the trail.
In 1885 Willis taught his favorite song, “Good-bye Old Paint,” to Morris’s seven-year-old son, Jess. As an adult Jess Morris became known as a talented fiddler, and though credited with authoring “Good-bye Old Paint,” he was quick to clarify that had he learned the song from Charley Willis as a child. In 1947 John Lomax, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist, recorded Morris singing and playing Willis’ song, “Good-bye Old Paint,” and later sent it to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress where it is preserved.
Thank you for sharing details about the African-American roots of this song. For those interested, Stephen Wade devotes a chapter to Jess Morris and Goodbye Old Paint in his wonderful book The Beautiful Music All Around Us- Field Recordings and the American Experience.
rarely do you hear a duo so interconnected musically and spiritually.....they were meant for each other to sing together
Agree - they remind me of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in that respect.
The mood they create fits this song perfectly.
Saw them two weeks back in Portland, OR. Lovelier souls I don't know. Bless them and long may they ride.
There is nothing bad AT ALL about this music! It is so beautiful and I can't stop listening to it!
God. I love these people. Love their sound in all ways. Feeling coming through pure & strong.
sincerely, the best version of this song that I've heard and your voices sound incredible together. thanks.
if this is the best version of this song you have heard; a lot of listening needs to be done.
Colter wall
this guys phrasing is awesome. such a unique tone ! Both together are incredibly beautiful!
Absolutely gorgeous
These two are amazing
Just beautiful.
That just made me cry at work. Good god that was impressive.
Awesome performance and song.
Thanks for playing this in Fernie a few weeks ago. What a wonderful song!
Top notch. Evocative loveliness
Very nice.Especially the guitar playing.
Wonderful music - thanks.
Wonderful.
love this...
beautiful thanks
Great song dad
Made my night !
Fabulous
Besides being an artful luthier, Jason Romero, like the equally terrific Pharis, is a gifted musician. Together they consistently offer the most listenable acoustic music available anywhere. First rate.
Really great!
Great👍🙏🏻
Wish we could hear the rest of the set.
Awesome
I've never heard this Celtic way of singing the song I love best
this song was like required singing in grade school.
I want to be a cowboy and I want to sing this song
well that was good.
watched them in horsefly. you think you can play banjo? ja nope good luck huge love pharis!!