Uploaded January 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Description
In this video I'm playing a fingerstyle version of “Goodnight Irene”. On the TAB I've credited Leadbelly as the songwriter. However, there is evidence that it is really a traditional southern American folk song. The Weavers version was a massive pop hit and it was the Billboard #1 song of 1950. Other artists took it to #1 on the Country charts that year.
The arrangement is a hybrid – the chorus part is by Jack Baker, and I added the verse part. Since the two parts are melodically similar (except the verse accommodates a lot more syllables), I purposely arranged in a style that varied a bit from his.
Free TAB of this arrangement is at: dirknelson.weebly.com
Description
In this video I'm playing a fingerstyle version of “Goodnight Irene”. On the TAB I've credited Leadbelly as the songwriter. However, there is evidence that it is really a traditional southern American folk song. The Weavers version was a massive pop hit and it was the Billboard #1 song of 1950. Other artists took it to #1 on the Country charts that year.
The arrangement is a hybrid – the chorus part is by Jack Baker, and I added the verse part. Since the two parts are melodically similar (except the verse accommodates a lot more syllables), I purposely arranged in a style that varied a bit from his.
Free TAB of this arrangement is at: dirknelson.weebly.com
