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"Cindy"

Southern folk song known in New Orleans[1] in 1879.[2]

The origins of the folk song are unclear, but was known to Jody Collins.

The tune itself was derived from the traditional Negro spiritual, "The Gospel Train." Although first published in 1873, the song itself is much older.[2]

In April of 1879, Collins sang the song to the accompaniment of his own guitar to the dining guests of Maxime's Restaurant in New Orleans' French Quarter. As he sang and wandered through the dining room, he stopped to sing a verse to Yvette Devereaux. Angered by the attention his daughter was paying to Collins, her father, Henri Devereaux, threw a tip at him to take his performance elsewhere. The altercation was abated when Bret and Bart Maverick stepped in and encouraged Collins to accept the tip gracefully and leave.

Regardless of Henri Devereaux's opinion of the song, it managed to remain popular enough to have passed down to the 20th century. The song enjoyed new popularity with recordings in the 1950s by Ricky Nelson,[4] and the 1970s by Elvis Presley.[5]

See: Hostage