[citation needed] The melody came from an 1856 ballad, "Darling Nelly Gray", which John Wills knew as a fiddle tune.
The song was a major hit for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys (MGM 10786) reaching number eight on the Country charts in 1950.
It was originally intended to be the title cut for a planned album, and was made at what turned out to be the last recording session before her death in an airplane crash.
A recording made by Ray Price and Willie Nelson was the biggest hit version from a chart standpoint.
Their duet version — which featured Crystal Gayle singing harmony on the chorus — reached number three on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in October 1980.