Darby and Tarlton

Tarlton grew up on a farm in Chesterfield County, South Carolina,^[4] learning folk songs from an early age. His parents were sharecroppers and he had to help out with the chores. He still managed to find the time to learn the slide guitar and banjo.^[4] After working as a street musician in the 1920s, Tarlton met Frank Ferera, who taught him how to play the Hawaiian guitar.^[4] Using this slide guitar style would be one of their signature influences on the development of American music.^[5] Tarlton soon moved to Columbus, Georgia, where he met Tom Darby in a music store.^[6][4] They were 35 and 42 when they began performing together and shortly, they were offered a chance to make a recording for Columbia Records.^[4][6] Two songs were cut on April 5, 1927, and the recording sold well enough to allow a second recording session. On November 10, 1927, they recorded four songs, among them "Birmingham Jail" and "Columbus Stockade Blues".^[4] The two songs, coupled on one record, became the duo's biggest hits selling more than 200,000 copies. Darby and Tarlton recorded 63 songs between 1927 and 1933. Tarlton and Darby had started to record on their own by the end of 1930.^[6] Tom Darby formed a short lived duo in 1931 together with Jesse Pitts, called The Georgia Wildcats while Tarlton recorded solo.^[7][6]

In 1933, they became hostile towards each other and went their separate ways professionally.^[4] One source of disagreement was over who wrote "Columbus Stockade Blues."^[6] Darby did, however, visit Tarlton occasionally. They could have made much more money but Darby insisted on taking a flat fee instead of royalties, which living in Columbus 30 years later he continued to regret.^[2] They did play some shows together in the 1940s.^[6] They had recorded around 100 songs together and had helped grow the tradition of the lyric lament.^[8]

In 1963, Darby and Tarlton reunited to perform in Weracoba Park (known locally as "Lakebottom") when they agreed to be part of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra's opening pops concert.^[9] Darby was quoted as saying in a 1963 interview with The Columbus Enquirer (now known as The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer) regarding the opening pops concert performance that "Tarlton’s fine wife said we sounded even better than before. Made goose pimples come up on her arms, she said."^[9]

During the folk revival of the 1960s, Tarlton performed again, despite being in poor health and nearly blind, including at the Newport Folk Festival in 1966.^[4][2]

Darby died in 1971 and Tarlton in 1979 and are both buried in Riverdale Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia.^[6]

Of their hit songs, “Columbus Stockade Blues” had some of the greatest staying power. Pete Seeger claimed Woody Guthrie had taught him how to play it, while Leon Russell, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley have also performed the song.^[6] It was the first song on Willie Nelson's 1970 album Columbus Stockade Blues.