Betsy Rutherford - Traditional Country Music - Vinyl Album
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic seal
Biograph Records RC6004


The Grateful Dead recorded this song as Cold Rain & Snow. The song is more commonly known as Rain & Snow and most other recordings use this title. Rain and Snow was included in the book, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians by Cecil Sharp. The collected version, which dates from August 1916, was sung by Mrs. Tom Rice at Big Laurel, NC. This version includes only the first verse.

The Grateful Dead version is based on the recording by Obray Ramsey. The song was also performed by many bluegrass groups in the 1960's including those of Bill Monroe and Del McCoury and it may be that live bluegrass versions also influenced the Dead version.

The song was arranged by Benjamin Britten and included in his work Eight Folk Song Arrangements.

The original Grateful Dead release of the song is credited to Traditional / McGanahan Skjellyfetti. The name McGanahan Skjellyfetti was a psuedonym used by the Grateful Dead for group compositions. The name derives originally from a character in Kenneth Patchen's "Memoirs Of A Shy Pornographer", although the name was possibly used by the Grateful Dead because one of the band members had a cat of that name.

Track Listing
Faded Coat of Blue
Rain and Snow
John Hardy
West Virginia Mine Disaster
Tramp On The Street
Boys Be Good to Dear Old Dad
Drunkard's Doom
Old Blue
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Amazing Grace