Fascinating tales behind country and folk classics by Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and more

More from this Series

• Crazy — Patsy Cline had to be persuaded to record Willie Nelson’s song

  The country singer reluctantly tackled a track that went on to become a standard

  
• Shallow Brown — a shanty that shifts and flows like the sea

  Folk and rock musicians have been drawn to a song that was spotted off the coasts of the UK and the US

  
• Ring of Fire — the tune that helped ignite a love story

  The track written by June Carter and later sung by Johnny Cash brought the pair closer together

  
• In the Pines — the story behind Kurt Cobain’s howl of anguish

  Popularised by Leadbelly and Nirvana, this song of suffering has its roots in an Appalachian folk tune

  
• Kumbaya — twists and turns of a campfire favourite and civil rights anthem

  The story of the song’s origins has recently been updated, while its message has become corrupted by contemporary US politics

  
• Me and Bobby McGee became Janis Joplin’s epitaph

  Kris Kristofferson’s song was a country classic before being covered by Joplin and released after her death in 1970

  
• Beeswing — Richard Thompson’s song was inspired by two very free spirits

  The singer’s 1994 ballad — one of the highlights of his songbook — has sparked some fascinating cover versions

  
• Scarborough Fair — the ancient ballad that sparked a modern-day grudge

  
• Dirty Old Town — why Ewan MacColl wanted to take an axe to his neighbourhood

  
• Raglan Road — the Irish ballad has been covered by Van Morrison, Sinéad O’Connor and Ed Sheeran

  
• Wichita Lineman — the sweeping melancholy of Glen Campbell’s 1968 hit has universal appeal

  
• Streets of Laredo was already steeped in history when singers such as Marty Robbins tackled it

  
• Folsom Prison Blues — Johnny Cash’s chilling ballad became a country classic

  
• Freight Train — how Elizabeth Cotten’s song was revived by the skiffle boom

  The track was covered by dozens of acts including The Quarrymen, and became the subject of a legal dispute

  
• Ode to Billie Joe struck a chord in the America of 1967

  Mystery still surrounds Bobbie Gentry’s song, which places banalities alongside profound loss

  
• Shenandoah — a song steeped in history and mystery

  Some of popular music’s great singers have been drawn to this old folk tune

  
• The enduring allure of The Long Black Veil

  Covered by everyone from Joan Baez to Mick Jagger, the song’s greatest champion was Johnny Cash

  
• Lost Highway — Leon Payne’s 1948 song was a gift to popular culture

  Its title was used by film-maker David Lynch, while singers such as Hank Williams mined its sorrowful mood