The Reverend Mr. Black Explained

"The Reverend Mr. Black" (also, "The Lonesome Valley") is a 1963 song by Billy Edd Wheeler, Mike Stoller, and Jerry Leiber.^[1]

Background

The chorus came from the 1931 folk song, "The Lonesome Valley," recorded by the Carter Family.

Kingston Trio recording

• "The Reverend Mr. Black" was recorded and released by The Kingston Trio in 1963 for their album The Kingston Trio No. 16 and became a top-ten hit for them on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eight.^[2] On the Hot R&B Singles chart, it went to number fifteen.^[3]

Other recordings

• In 1963, Bill Anderson included it on Still.^[4]
• Johnny Cash covered the song in 1981 for his album The Baron.
• The Fairfield Four recorded a version for the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?^[5]

Notes and References

1. secondhandsongs.com/search?search_text=The+Reverend+Mr.+Black
2. .
3. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 328.
4. Web site: www.allmusic.com. allmusic.com. June 8, 2022.
5. News: Moore . Rick . May 1, 2017 . The Fairfield Four, "Lonesome Valley" . . May 12, 2023.