I'd Rather Be In Some Dark Hollow
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 5
“I’m going away, I’m leaving today, I’m going but I’m never coming back”
Dark Hollow was written in 1957 by Bill Browning, a young West Virginia truck driver who aspired more than anything to be a successful musician. He formed The Echo Valley Boys & impressed a local restaurant owner; Frank J. Videmsek. So much so that Frank decided to invest in the group by becoming the act's first producer, manager and going as far as starting his own record label, “Island Records". Included on the B side of “Borned with the Blues” and kicked off with a great big train whistle, Dark Hollow was instantly a hit but the group lacked the funding necessary to print and distribute that many records. Browning quickly parted with Island Records and began working with Starday Records where he continued to tour and record through the early 60’s but nothing else stuck like Dark Hollow. Bill seemingly went back to truck driving but eventually opened the Midway Recording Studio, recording Appalachian country & gospel music until his premature death in 1977 at the age of 45.
Dark Hollow was instantly popular on a regional level due to The Echo Valley Boys extensive touring schedule, which led to it being noticed by other artists including Jimmie Skinner who reached #7 on country music charts with it in 1958. I’ve always wondered how it feels as a musician to have someone else cover your record and be more successful with it than you were. It must be frustrating, but I would imagine it also feels good knowing you have the ability to inspire others. By the late 60s it had been picked up by bluegrass legends like Bill Monroe, J.D. Crowe, Mac Wiseman, & Ralph Stanley. In 1973 the bluegrass supergroup Muleskinner released the song on their one and only album which happened to include Clarence White before his passing. For those unaware, Mule Skinner was a bluegrass supergroup composed of; Peter Rowan on vocals and guitar, Bill Keith on banjo and pedal steel, Richard Greene on vocals and violin, David Grisman on vocals and mandolin, John Guerin on drums, John Kahn on bass, and Clarence White on vocals & guitar. In fact, recently at his 2025 show at The ACL Theater in Austin, Texas. Billy Strings gave credit to the group stating when he thinks of this song that this is the version that he thinks of.
“Anyhow, this next song. The version that I really think of when we do this, and people are always like yeah man Grateful Dead. Well. Uh. Muleskinner. Anybody remember Muleskinner? Clarence White, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Richard Greene. There's a great video on youtube of them playing this man, and Clarence’s singing is just so fucking good, his guitar playing is just so fucking good. Go check it out, Muleskinner doing the ole Dark Hollow.”
After the Grateful Dead added the song to their repertoire and released it in 1970 on Bear’s Choice it had gained widespread popularity. How it came across their desks remains unclear, but I did some research and this is what I came up with. A group called The Kentucky Colonels; formerly “The Country Boys”, were a powerhouse lead by Clarence & Roland White. In March of 1967 Jerry Garcia was playing electric guitar at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles where he introduced the Kentucky Colonels before a set which included their version of Dark Hollow. Within 3 years after this night, the Grateful Dead were playing it during their acoustic sets and once during a 1971 electric set. The group ended up playing it over 30 times during the decade before their last time playing on April 25, 1981 at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, California. Notably played once during a Christmas event featuring Joan Baez, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, and Bob Weir.
It’s refreshing to hear a song almost 70 years old standing the test of time and being played by musicians a third of the age of the song. Without the younger generation playing and talking about these songs they will just be lost with time. That’s the whole intention of this page, just a way to contribute to keeping some of these old Bluegrass traditions alive. Make sure you check out this quartet anytime they’re in your neck of the woods. The boys are getting ready to embark on the second leg of their Dogs Out The Cage Tour, setting sail along the southern east coast before hitting the festival circuit this summer. During the show in Peoria, IL Drury (mandolinist) mentioned that this is the band’s first official Winter & Spring tour as they had all been in school previously. It just goes to show you what we have to look forward to with this new generation of pickers that are currently evolving.
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