Pretty Saro


"Pretty Saro" is an English folk ballad originating in the early 1700s. The song died out in England by the mid eighteenth century but was rediscovered in North America in the early twentieth century, where it had been preserved through oral traditions. Cecil Sharp and later folklorists and proponents of the American [folk music revival|folk revival] helped keep songs such as "Pretty Saro" alive well into modern times.

Traditional Versions

The famous Appalachian musician Jean Ritchie was recorded with her sisters in 1946 by Mary Elizabeth Barnacle singing her family's traditional version on the song, before recording it on the album Jean Ritchie And Doc Watson At Folk City. The Appalachian traditional singer Horton Barker also recorded a traditional version on his eponymous 1962 album. Several other traditional Appalachian versions were recorded, particularly by Alan Lomax. A few traditional Ozark recordings were also made, and one in Toronto, Canada.

Popular Recordings

Notable artists who have recorded Pretty Saro include:
ArtistAlbum
Derroll Adams65th Birthday Concert
Sam AmidonAll is Well
Judy CollinsA Maid of Constant Sorrow
Shirley Collins and Davy GrahamFolk Roots, New Routes
Iris DementSongcatcher
Bob DylanAnother Self Portrait (1969–1971)">The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)">Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)
Chris JonesCloud of Dust
Bruce Molsky and Big HoedownBruce Molsky and Big Hoedown
Ashley Monroe featuring Aubrey HaynieDivided & United: The Songs of the Civil War
Jay MunlyGalvanized Yankee
Pete SeegerGod Bless the Grass
Doc WatsonHome Again!
The Dixie Bee-LinersThrough My Screen Door
John DoyleEvening Comes Early
Bert JanschA Rare Conundrum
Rhiannon GiddensMusic from The [American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Bluecoats Drum and Bugle CorpsSession 44
Martin SimpsonLive
The WesterliesThe Westerlies
Stephen WakeThe Mystical Land
RocketshipRarities
American Patchwork QuartetAmerican Patchwork Quartet

During his Self Portrait sessions in March 1970 at Columbia Records' New York studio, Bob Dylan ran through "Pretty Saro" six consecutive times. While none of those versions made the final cut for the album, the song remained in Columbia's vault, until it was released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – [Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)|Another Self Portrait], a 35-track box set of songs cut for Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning.