Pretty Saro is an English folk ballad originating in the early 1700s. The song died out in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 by the mid eighteenth century but was rediscovered in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 in the early twentieth century where it had been preserved in the Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

 through oral traditions. The work of Cecil Sharp

Cecil Sharp

Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...

 is credited for keeping songs such as Pretty Saro and others, alive well into modern times.

Performers

Notable artists who have recorded Pretty Saro include:

Artist	Album
Sam Amidon Sam Amidon Sam Amidon is an American independent folk artist born in Brattleboro, Vermont, June 3, 1981. His parents are folk artists Peter and Mary Alice Amidon. His younger brother, Stefan Amidon, is a professional drummer who performs with The Sweetback Sisters among other groups. Sam attended The Putney...	All is Well All Is Well (Sam Amidon album) All Is Well is the second album by Sam Amidon. It is a collection of re-arranged traditional folk songs .- Track listing :# "Sugar Baby" - 5:24# "Little Johnny Brown" - 4:30# "Saro" - 3:23# "Wild Bill Jones" - 5:28...
Judy Collins Judy Collins Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...	A Maid of Constant Sorrow A Maid of Constant Sorrow A Maid of Constant Sorrow is a 1961 album, the debut of Judy Collins, released by Elektra Records and featuring traditional folk songs. Collins' voice and guitar are sparsely accompanied by Fred Hellerman and Walter Raim on second guitar, Erik Darling on banjo, and Bill Lee on bass...
Iris Dement Iris DeMent Iris DeMent is an American singer and songwriter. DeMent's musical style encompasses the genres country and folk music.-Early life:...	Songcatcher