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kind of mawkish sentiment began long before these recordings. It’s part of a grand tradition that goes back centuries to the Scottish/Irish tradition of ‘death ballads.’ Those works crossed the Atlantic with ease and took root in Appalachia, amidst the hard life and poverty of early generations. The Civil War and the widespread death and destruction it brought didn’t help things. To many, life was a proverbial ‘Vale of Tears’ or ‘Vale of Sorrow.’ Religion offered what little solace there was. Pain and sadness were everywhere, so why not sing about them? Misery loves company. In ‘Country Music USA,’ author Bill Malone argues that to late 19th 5 Hank Snow Red Sovine, George Jones & Webb Pierce PREVIEW