Parallel Anthology Track 13

Track 13: G B Grayson - Ommie Wise  Victor 21625; Recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, 18.10.1927

Record label assigns authorship to "G B Grayson", as does victor.library.ucsb.edu and Harry Smith's Anthology booklet, although www.78discography.com does not assign authorship.

However, according to the Where Dead Voices Gather blog, "'Ommie Wise' marks the first song on the Anthology based on a verifiable historical event. In 1807, Naomi Wise was drowned by her lover Jonathan Lewis […] 'Ommie Wise' is a slightly fictionalized account of the murder, reportedly written shortly after the event itself. An early 19th century version of the text has been discovered."

The Roud Folksong Index classifies this song as a version of Roud 447, and a Roud number search obtains a number of versions collected prior to the recording of Grayson's version, dating as far back as 1874, and across a wide geographical area (N Carolina, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky).

In any case, according to wikipedia, Grayson died in 1930, meaning that this composition is public domain either as a traditional folk song or since 1st January 2001.

Parallel anthology main index page

Alternative Versions
Omie Wise by Obray Ramsey   album released in 1961 (according to discogs): Spotify   ''The album's sleeve notes treat this composition as traditional. No arrangement credit is claimed.''

Naomi Wise by Paul Clayton   recorded in 1956 (according to this site): Spotify   According to the album's liner notes, "The text sung here is the oldest known version of the ballad and first appeared in the Greensboro (N.C.) Patriot, April 29, 1874; the tune ''Mr. Clayton sings is one he has known to the ballad for many years, and the one to which it is most commonly sung by folk-singers and others." No arrangement credit claimed.''

Little Omie by Harrison Burnett   recorded in 1961: Max Hunter Collection   Field recording