Anthology of American Folk Music
Volume 1: Ballads, Track 22
WHEN THAT GREAT SHIP WENT DOWN
William and Versey Smith 
Recorded Chicago, IL: August 1927
William Smith, vocal and guitar; Versey Smith, vocal and tambourine
Originally released on Paramount 12505B
(Alternate titles: The Titanic. Related ballads: God Moves on the Water, The Sinking of the Titanic, Last Scene of the Titanic, Save the Titanic, The Titanic Disaster, The Titanic Blues)
Not much is known about the Smiths. They were husband and wife and were reputed street singers. It is speculated that they might have been from Texas, but the most common theory places them in the Carolinas. This theory is based on on the extistence of a printed broadside ballad in the Frank C. Brown Collection at Duke University of a Titanic ballad with similar, but not identical, lyrics written by a W.O. Smith. This Bill Smith is known to have driven a horse cab in Durham from 1912-1915 (Paul Oliver, Songsters and Saints, pp. 225-226). Nevertheless, solid information on both the singers and the composer remains conjectural. The Smiths recorded four songs in 1927 during their visit to Chicago.
The Titanic disaster inspired a number of ballads and was particularly popular with African-American musicians, who were aware of the irony that Jim Crow laws had forbidden African-Americans passage on the ship. Perhaps they felt that the ship's owners received divine retribution. This ballad was later recorded by both Roy Acuff and Woody Guthrie as well as Ernest Stoneman, who recorded another 1920s version, which became his most popular song. Other Titanic ballads were recorded by Frank Hutchison (Track 19) as "The Last Scene of the Titanic," and Blind Willie Johnson (Track 52) as "God Moves on the Water."
FOR ADDITIONAL RECORDINGS OF THE SMITHS SEE THE COLLECTIONS: The Songster Tradition (DOC 5045c); Songs of War and History (LC LBC 10a); In the Spirit, Vol. 2 (OJL 13a); and Gospel Singers and Choirs (Topaz Jazz 1011c).
OTHER RECORDED VERSIONS & RELATED SONGS ABOUT THE TITANIC DISASTER INCLUDE:
Traditional American Folk: as The Great Titanic: Hobart Smith (FL 17a); as The Titanic: Lesley Riddle (RND 0299c); as a Georgia Sea Island song about the Titanic see Save the Titanic: Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers (NW 278a).
Folksong revival: as When That Great Ship Went Down: Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston (SFW CD 40100c); as The Titanic: Ed Badeaux (FW 7510c); Bud and Travis (WP 1254a); Rolf Cahn (FW 2416c); Bob Gibson (RVR 12-830a); The Homesteaders (RVR 7537a); Spider John Koerner (RDH 44c); Sparky and Rhonda Rucker (FF 534c); as The Titanic Disaster: Pete Seeger (SFW CD 2319c).
Country/String Band: as The Great Titanic: Roy Acuff (CAP 617a, ELK 303a); The Phipps Family (FW 2375c); and as a related ballad The Last Scene of the Titanic: Frank Hutchison (COL 47911c, RND 1007a).
Blues: as The Titanic: Pink Anderson (FW 3588c); as a related Titanic ballad, God Moves on the Water: Blind Willie Johnson (YZ 1058c, FW RBF 19c, COL 52835c); Mance Lipscomb (AH 1023a). Gospel: as When That Great Ship Went Down: The Dixieaires (HRT 319a).
Rock: as the Titanic: The Blood Oranges (ESD 80792c); as the related song Titanic Blues: Phil Alvin (Slash 25481c).
