"Down in the River to Pray," a deeply soulful song, began as "The Good Old Way" in the early 1800's. It was a "slave song," composed by a slave in the American Deep South. It has the "hmmm" undercurrent typical of the old African-American spirituals. Yet, and this is what pisses me off, there are virtually NO versions of this song sung by African-Americans. The most popular contemporary rendition is by Alison Krause.
