Troublesome Waters (1953)

Words and music: J.B. Karnes-Ernest Rippetoe
O: Howard Seratt

A few weeks ago Carlene Carter released her latest album "Carter Girl. On that album she is singing songs written by members of the total Carter Family.  But "Troublesome Waters" isn't written by a member of the Carter Family.
When Johnny Cash recorded it in 1964 he said Maybelle and Esra Carter and Dixie Deen wrote it, but that was not true. He could have known, because he probably knew the song from the Sun recording studio.

Here the Story from 706 UNION AVENUE.nl:

STUDIO SESSION FOR HOWARD SERATT

AT THE MEMPHIS RECORDING SERVICE FOR SUN RECORDS 1954

SUN RECORDING STUDIO

706 UNION AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

SUN SESSION: UNKNOWN DATE LATE 1953

SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN

PRODUCER AND RECORDING ENGINEER - SAM C. PHILLIPS

Despite Sam Phillips' affection for Seratt, there is not a single artifact in the Sun files to suggest that he was ever there. The tapes were probably recorded over when funds fell short. The session details were never entered in the log book and the record itself is obscenely rare. This side, while surprisingly melodic for its simple chord structure, does not have quite the same impact as ''Troublesome Waters''. Somehow the simplicity in Seratt's style is less in evidence here. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful recording. Even on another label or in another era, this would be a standard. Seratt or Phillips titled the song. It was a J.B. Coats hymn originally titled after the first line, ''In All My Sin There Was Not One Who Cared'', and first published in another 1940 songster ''Old Camp Meeting Songs''.

01 - "I MUST BE SAVED" - S.E.S.A.C. - 2:55

Composer: - J.B. Coats

Publisher: - Sesac

Matrix number: - U 53X

Recorded: - Late 1953

Released: - February 20, 1954

First appearance: - Sun Records (S) 78/45rpm standard single SUN 198-B mono

I MUST BE SAVED / TROUBLESOME WATERS

Reissued: - 1994 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15801 DI-2-18 mono

THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 1

One of the joys of being the sole proprietor of a record company is that one can issue titles that are commercial suicide but nevertheless deserve to be issued. Surely Sam Phillips could not have held out great hopes for this title but its overarching simplicity is so moving that it cried out for release. Even after the passage of 30 years, Phillips remembered Seratt, ''Oh that man. I never heard a person, no matter what field of music, could sing as beautifully. The honesty! The integrity The communication! He had such an unpretentious quality. It had a depth of beauty about it in its simplicity. Oh God Almighty, that was a sad thing because I could have recorded him 'ad infinitum' and never got tired'', told Sam.

The assumption underlying a lifetime pact with Sun, however, was that Seratt would have to switch to secular music and perhaps that would have been self-defeating because it is Seratt's faith, expressed in the understated gentleness of his style, that makes this performance outstanding. The hymn was an obscure one, Published in 1940 by Stamps-Baxter in a songster called ''Golden Key'' (another minor classic, ''Gathering Flowers For The Master's Bouquet'', first saw light-of-day there, too). The words were by Mrs. Karnes and the music by Ernest Rippetoe. Ten years later, Johnny Cash recorded it, crediting it to his mother-in-law, Maybelle Carter, her husband, Ezra, and their house-guest, Dixie Deen (the soon-to-be wife of Tom T. Hall). It's entirely possible that Cash remembered Seratt's record or remembered the song from the original hymnal. Flatt and Scruggs recorded it two years after Johnny Cash, similarly crediting the Carters and their housequest.

02 - "TROUBLESOME WATERS" - S.E.S.A.C. - 3:03

Composer: - J.B. Karnes-Ernest Rippetoe

Publisher: - Sesac - Copyright Control

Matrix number: - U 51

Recorded: - Late 1953

Released: - February 20, 1954

First appearance: - Sun Records (S) 78/45rpm standard single SUN 198-A mono

TROUBLESOME WATERS / I MUST BE SAVED

Reissued: - 1994 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15801 DI-2-17 mono

THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 1

Stunningly simple and beautiful record. It barely sold out its first scant pressing. And then Seratt and his acoustic guitar and harmonica were gone. Wheelchair and all. Back to Arkansas and the St. Francis Church in Blytheville, and then on to California.

From a forum 2 years ago:

The words to "Troublesome Waters" were by my grandmother MRS J. B. Karnes and published in the Stamp-Baxter Gospel songbook "Golden Key" in 1940. She also wrote "An Empty Mansion." The Maybell Carter version was ripped off from the songbook and some minor changes were made for the 1964 Johnny Cash album "I Walk The Line." Flatt and Scruggs also recorded the song in 1996. but the 1940 book is proof that both of these artist stold the song and gave credit to those who did not deserve it. The first known recording was in 1954 by Howard Seratt at Sun Records, where Johnny Cash was also a recording artist. He might have gotten the song there and to avoid paying royalties, named his in'laws as the authors. A previous post said Ernest Rippetoe wrote the song, but he wrote the music, so that post had the 2 names backwards. My aunt has all of the documentation and is considering a lawsuit in order to set the record straight. 

I don't know how it ended.

Other recordings i found: 

1954 - Troublesome Waters - Howard Seratt
1964 - Troublesome Waters - Johnny Cash
1966 - Troublesome Waters - Flatt & Scruggs
1972 - Troublesome Waters - Hopson Family
1980 - Troublesome Waters - Ralph Stanley
1993 - Troublesome Waters - Iris DeMent
2003 - Troublesome waters - Richard Hawley
2006 - Troublesome Water - Sean Keane
2014 - Troublesome Waters (feat. Willie Nelson) - Carlene Carter

You can get them if you really want