Boggs was born in Norton, Virginia and began working in the coal mines of Appalachia at the age of twelve. At around this time, Boggs became interested in the banjo. As was the case of many musicians and performers of his era, Boggs learned to play the banjo watching and listening to family members and other performers, drawing additional influence from local African American musicians.
Boggs, while playing a traditional-style of play, did not play in the knock-down, sometimes called clawhammer or frailing style, instead employing a three-finger method that involved picking upwards on the strings of the banjo and permitted him to execute crisp single-note runs in a manner similar to that of a fingerstyle guitarist. Nevertheless, Boggs' style should not be confused with the bluegrass style of playing otherwise known as Scruggs style, made famous by Earl Scruggs, which also involves up-picking the banjo strings.
In 1920 Dock Boggs became influenced by blues tunes. He heard music played and sung by African-Americans while working in the coal mines and around the railroads of Appalachia. In 1927 he attended an audition in Bristol, Tennessee with the Brunswick record company. He was offered a contract to record with Brunswick and as a result travelled to New York where he recorded eight sides: "Sugar Baby," "Down Home Blues," "Country Blues," "Sammie Where Have You Been So Long," "Danville Girl," "Pretty Polly," "New Prisoner's Song" and "Hard Luck Blues." After these sessions, Boggs never recorded for Brunswick again.
By 1933, Boggs had given up hope of making a living as a musician. He hocked his banjo and did not play again until the early 1960s when he was re-discovered by Mike Seeger of the New Lost City Ramblers. As a result of his relationship with Seeger, Boggs enjoyed a renaissance of sorts during the Folk Revival, and recorded again.
Rowan County Crew
Dock Boggs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And brothers, sisters, too
I'll relate to you the history
Of the Rowan County Crew
Concerning bloody Rowan
And many needless deeds
Now friends, please give attention
Remember how it reads
It was in the month of August
All on election day
John Morton, he was wounded
They say by Johnny Day
Old Morton couldn't believe it
He could not think it so
His thought was Floyd Tolliver
Who struck the fatal blow
Oh Morton, he recovered
Some months had come and passed
All in the town of Morehead
These men they met at last
Old Morton had a friend or two
About the street did walk
He seemed to be uneasy
No one he wished to talk
He walked in Judge Carriage's grocery
And stepped up to the bar
But little did he think
He'd met his fatal hour
The sting of death was near him
As Morton rushed in the door
And a few words passed
Concerning the row before
The people being frightened
Rushed out of the room
And the ball from Morton's pistol
Laid Tolliver in the tomb
His friends they gathered around him
A wife to weep and wail
And Morton was soon arrested
And confined in jail
He was put in jail of Rowan
And there to remain awhile
In the hands of law and justice
To bravely stand a trial
The people talked of lynching him
But presently they did fail
Some of his friends removed him
To the Winchester jail
Some persons forged an order
Their names I do not know
And the plan was soon agreed upon
And for Morton they did go
They slipped the handcuffs on him
His heart was in distress
They hurried to the station
Stepped on the night express
All along the line she lumbered
All at her usual speed
There was only two in number
To commit this awful deed
Old Morton in the smoking car
Accompanied by his wife
They did not want her present
When they took her husband's life
When they arrived at Farmer's
They had no time to lose
And a band approached the engineer
And forbid him not to move
They stepped up to the prisoner
With pistols in their hand
In death, he soon was sinking
He died an Ireland band / He died in iron bands
His wife heard the sound
She was in another car
She cried "Oh Lord, they've killed him"
When she heard the pistol fire
The death of these two men
Cause trouble in the land
Caused men to leave their families
And take the parting hand
Our relations are still at war
May never, never cease
Oh, if I could see our loved ones
Once more in peace
They shot and killed a deputy sheriff
Bumgardner was his name
They shot him from the bushes
After taking deliberate aim
The death of him was dreadful
May never be forgot
His body was pierced and torn
By thirty-three buckshot
They shot and killed Sol Bradley
A sober and innocent man
They left his wife and children
To do the best they can
They wounded young Ed Sizemore
Although his life did save
He seemed to dodge the grog shops
That stood so near his grave
Dock Boggs's song Rowan County Crew gives an account of violence and revenge that took place in Rowan County, Kentucky in the late 19th century. The song starts with an invitation to listen to the history of the Rowan County Crew, a group of men involved in a series of violent incidents that caused a lasting impact on the community. The story is centered around the killing of Floyd Tolliver by John Morton, who believed Tolliver was responsible for wounding him. Morton was arrested and sentenced to jail, but some of his friends schemed to take him away to prevent a lynch mob from killing him. He was eventually caught by a group of men who shot him dead, along with his wife, who was present during the attack. The violent events did not end there, as the song mentions the killing of a deputy sheriff and a man called Sol Bradley, as well as the shooting of Ed Sizemore.
The Rowan County Crew was a topic of fascination for many people in Kentucky, and the events that led to the killings were debated for years. Some saw the group as violent criminals who deserved punishment, while others saw them as defenders of justice who were provoked by corrupt officials. The song reflects this debate, as it presents the actions of the Rowan County Crew as both brutal and justified, depending on who you ask. The lyrics also highlight the impact of the violence on the community, illustrating how families were torn apart and how fear and uncertainty spread throughout the region.
Line by Line Meaning
Come all you fathers and mothers
The singer is calling forth all parents to listen to the story
And brothers, sisters, too
The singer is also calling forth siblings to listen to the story
I'll relate to you the history
The singer promises to tell the story of the Rowan County Crew
Of the Rowan County Crew
The artist informs listeners that the story is about the Rowan County Crew
Concerning bloody Rowan
The artist introduces the setting of the story, which is a place called Rowan where violence occurred
And many needless deeds
The singer acknowledges that the violence recounted in the story was not justifiable
Now friends, please give attention
The singer asks listeners for their attention
Remember how it reads
The artist is encouraging listeners to pay attention so that they can remember what happened
It was in the month of August
The artist reveals that the story takes place in the month of August
All on election day
The artist specifies that the event occurred during an election day
John Morton, he was wounded
The singer describes how John Morton was injured
They say by Johnny Day
The artist refers to rumors that Johnny Day was responsible for the injury
Old Morton couldn't believe it
The singer tells us John Morton did not trust that it was Johnny Day who caused his injury
He could not think it so
John Morton was having a hard time believing Johnny Day was responsible for his injury
His thought was Floyd Tolliver
John Morton assumed Floyd Tolliver was the one who injured him
Who struck the fatal blow
The artist claims that Floyd Tolliver is believed to have caused a fatal injury
Oh Morton, he recovered
The artist tells us that John Morton eventually regained his health
Some months had come and passed
The singer indicates that some time had passed since John Morton was injured
All in the town of Morehead
The singer mentions where the meeting occurred
These men they met at last
The artist highlights that the two men had finally met in Morehead
Old Morton had a friend or two
The artist mentions that John Morton had one or a few friends
About the street did walk
John Morton was walking around in broad daylight
He seemed to be uneasy
The singer describes John Morton's behavior as nervous
No one he wished to talk
John Morton did not feel comfortable speaking to anyone
He walked in Judge Carriage's grocery
The singer describes where John Morton went, which was Judge Carriage's grocery
And stepped up to the bar
John Morton approached the bar inside the grocery
But little did he think
The singer is disclosing what John Morton was not expecting
He'd met his fatal hour
John Morton was about to face his death
The sting of death was near him
John Morton was about to be killed
As Morton rushed in the door
The singer describes John Morton approaching the door of the grocery
And a few words passed
Both John Morton and Tolliver exchanged words
Concerning the row before
They talked about what happened in the past between them
The people being frightened
The artist describes the audience watching the two men arguing and feeling scared
Rushed out of the room
The people inside the grocery hurried out of the room
And the ball from Morton's pistol
The singer explains how John Morton shot his gun
Laid Tolliver in the tomb
Shot Tolliver and caused his death
His friends they gathered around him
Referring to Tolliver's friends who were there and witnessed the shooting
A wife to weep and wail
Tolliver had a wife who was mourning him
And Morton was soon arrested
Morton was quickly taken into custody for Tolliver's death
And confined in jail
Morton was locked up in jail
He was put in jail of Rowan
Morton was imprisoned in Rowan jail
And there to remain awhile
Morton might be staying in jail for a long time
In the hands of law and justice
The authorities will handle Morton's criminal case
To bravely stand a trial
Morton has to go through a court trial
The people talked of lynching him
The artist refers to the possibility of Morton being lynched
But presently they did fail
The idea of lynching Morton did not push through
Some of his friends removed him
Morton's friends rescued him from jail
To the Winchester jail
The artist mentions where Morton was taken away to
Some persons forged an order
Someone created a fake order as an excuse to take Morton away
Their names I do not know
The singer does not know who made the fake order
And the plan was soon agreed upon
There was agreement among the group that Morton would be taken away
And for Morton they did go
Morton was the target of the group
They slipped the handcuffs on him
They took Morton's hands and put handcuffs on him
His heart was in distress
Morton was having a difficult time accepting what was happening
They hurried to the station
The group quickly made their way to the station
Stepped on the night express
The group boarded a train scheduled to leave at night
All along the line she lumbered
The train moved slowly along the tracks
All at her usual speed
Although the train was not very fast, it was moving at its regular pace
There was only two in number
Only two people were involved in the killing
To commit this awful deed
The two people were tasked to do an awful act
Old Morton in the smoking car
Morton was seated in the smoking car section of the train
Accompanied by his wife
Morton's wife was with him on the train
They did not want her present
The two killers did not want Morton's wife to see what they were going to do
When they took her husband's life
Morton would be killed while his wife was away from the scene
When they arrived at Farmer's
The train stopped at a place called Farmer's
They had no time to lose
The killers were in a hurry and had no time to waste
And a band approached the engineer
The group of killers approached the train engineer
And forbid him not to move
They told the engineer not to move the train
They stepped up to the prisoner
The killers went over to Morton who was their intended victim
With pistols in their hand
The killers were carrying guns
In death, he soon was sinking
Morton was dying quickly
He died an Ireland band / He died in iron bands
The wording is uncertain but could refer to the way Morton died as it was a painful and violent death.
His wife heard the sound
Morton's wife heard the noise of the gunshot
She was in another car
Morton's wife was in another part of the train
She cried "Oh Lord, they've killed him"
Morton's wife cried in despair, realizing her husband was killed
When she heard the pistol fire
Morton's wife heard the sound of the gun being fired
The death of these two men
The artist is referring to the death of Morton and Tolliver
Cause trouble in the land
The deaths sparked trouble in Rowan
Caused men to leave their families
The violence caused some men to leave their loved ones
And take the parting hand
These men left on bad terms, having to say goodbye under difficult circumstances
Our relations are still at war
The situation in the city is still tense and violent
May never, never cease
The artist wishes that the conflict will end
Oh, if I could see our loved ones
The singer desires to see their loved ones again
Once more in peace
The artist wants to meet their loved ones in a peaceful environment
They shot and killed a deputy sheriff
Someone killed a law enforcement officer named Bumgardner
Bumgardner was his name
The singer reveals the identity of the deputy sheriff who was killed
They shot him from the bushes
Bumgardner was killed by an unknown person firing from the bushes
After taking deliberate aim
The shooter took aim and shot Bumgardner intentionally
The death of him was dreadful
The death of Bumgardner was gruesome
May never be forgot
His death is something people should remember
His body was pierced and torn
The singer describes the damage done to Bumgardner's body
By thirty-three buckshot
Bumgardner was shot with thirty-three bullets
They shot and killed Sol Bradley
Sol Bradley was the second person to be killed
A sober and innocent man
The artist describes Sol Bradley's character, who was not involved in any trouble
They left his wife and children
Sol Bradley's family was left behind
To do the best they can
Sol Bradley's family now had to fend for themselves
They wounded young Ed Sizemore
Another person named Ed Sizemore was injured
Although his life did save
Despite being injured, Ed Sizemore survived
He seemed to dodge the grog shops
Ed Sizemore avoided drinking and becoming involved in any conflict
That stood so near his grave
The artist implies that drinking contributed to the violence and could have led to Sizemore's death
Contributed by Arianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.