Released 1967 Length 3:35 | Genre Folk, bluegrass Label Vanguard | |
Writer(s) Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell | ||
Darcy Farrow is a song written by Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell, and first recorded in 1965 by Ian & Sylvia on their album, Early Morning Rain. Gillette released his first recording of it in 1967 on his self-titled album, Steve Gillette.
The song has been covered by more than 300 artists, including, most notably, John Denver, who recorded it three times and included the song in his live performances. It is included on the latest tribute album, The Music Is You: A Tribute To John Denver, released on April 2, 2013.
Other artists who recorded "Darcy Farrow" include Chesapeake, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Nanci Griffith, The Kingston Trio, Tony Rice, Josh Ritter, Linda Ronstadt, Ian Tyson (solo), Matthews' Southern Comfort and many more.
The song was written in 1964, inspired by something that happened to Gillette's little sister, Darcy, when she was 12. She was running behind her horse chasing it into the corral when she was kicked. She broke her cheekbone but had no lasting ill effects. Campbell took a melody that Gillette had written and came up with a story about two young lovers and a tragic fall. The place names are actual places around the region of the high valleys and the Walker River in Nevada, where Tom lived when he was eight or nine years old.