Let's All Go Down to the River

"Let's All Go Down to the River" is a song originally recorded as a duet by American singers Jody Miller and Johnny Paycheck. The earliest known version of the song, titled "The Good Old Way," was published in Slave Songs of the United States in 1867. The song (#104) was contributed to that book by George H. Allan of Nashville, Tennessee, who was the transcriber, but the author was enslaved at that time and Alan did not record his or her name. It may have been arranged by Earl Montgomery and Sue Richards for the Miller-Paycheck recording, but they are absolutely not the authors of the song. The Miller-Paycheck rendition reached the top 20 of the American and Canadian country charts after being released as a single in 1972.

"Let's All Go Down to the River"
Single by Jody Miller and Johnny Paycheck
from the album There's a Party Goin' On
B-side	"In the Garden"
Released	April 1972 (1972-04)
Recorded	March 1972 (1972-03)
Studio	Columbia (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Nashville Sound gospel
Length	2:30
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Earl Montgomery Sue Richards
Producer(s)	Billy Sherrill
Jody Miller singles chronology
"Be My Baby" (1972) "Let's All Go Down to the River" (1972) "There's a Party Goin' On" (1972)
Johnny Paycheck singles chronology
"Someone to Give My Love To" (1972) "Let's All Go Down to the River" (1972) "Love Is a Good Thing" (1972)

In 2000, Alison Krauss brought renewed interest to the song when she sang it for the soundtrack of O Brother where Art thou.

Background and recording

Jody Miller first found success with 1965's "Queen of the House", but after a series of pop releases she found country success at Epic Records. In 1971, she reached the country top five with "He's So Fine" and "Baby I'm Yours". Meanwhile, Johnny Paycheck had first reached the country top ten with 1966's "The Lovin' Machine". After some personal challenges, he also signed to Epic and reached the top ten again with songs like "Someone to Give My Love To". Together, they recorded as a duet pairing with the song "Let's All Go Down to the River". It was composed by Earl Montgomery and Sue Richards. The duet was produced by Billy Sherrill at the Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee in March 1972. The song was described as an inspirational.

Release, reception and chart performance

"Let's All Go to the River" was released as a single by Epic Records in April 1972. On the B-side was a second duet: "In the Garden". The single was distributed as a seven-inch vinyl disc. The duet was given a positive response from Cashbox magazine, finding that the pair "form a bright new country couple". In 1972, the duet reached the number 13 position on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It also reached the number 18 position on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart the same year. It was later featured on Jody Miller's 1972 studio album There's a Party Goin' On. It was the duo's only duet single together and Miller's only duet to make any music chart.

Track listing

7" vinyl single

• "Let's All Go Down to the River" – 2:30
• "In the Garden" – 2:30

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Let's All Go Down to the River"

Chart (1972)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)	18
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)	13