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Sweet Betsy from Pike by John A. Stone – Piano Improvisation by Charles Manning

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“Sweet Betsy from Pike” is a Gold Rush era song. Sometime before 1858, John A. Stone wrote the lyrics. The melody is from the tune “Master McGrath,” an Irish song which appeared in America after the Great Famine of Ireland. Published in Carl Sandburg’s 1927 “American Songbag,” the song was recorded by Burl Ives in 1941 for his debut album “Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger.”

In the old western frontier, the terms “Betsy” and “Old Betsy” were known as nicknames for rifles. Through the years and through amended versions, “Sweet Betsy from Pike” became a song about a pioneer woman named Betsy and her lover Ike, who migrate from Pike County (probably Missouri) to California. The Western Writers of America chose the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Many performers have recorded the song, including Johnny Cash, Rosemary Clooney, Larry Groce, The Limeliters, The New Christy Minstrels, Riders in the Sky, Pete Seeger, and David Allan Coe, among others. In this rendition, pianist Charles Manning improvises the American ballad, “Sweet Betsy from Pike.”
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Johnny Cash
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