John Jacob Niles (1892-1980) was an American singer, composer, and collector of folk songs. In 'Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair' he takes a traditional Appalachian folk song, probably of Scottish origin, and sets it to an original melody, because his father thought the traditional tune was “downright terrible”. Although it was written in c. 1920, it wasn’t recorded until 1941, but since then it has become a standard piece in the repertoire of many folk musicians from both sides of the Atlantic. Here it has been arranged for a Low Voice (Alto or Bass) and Piano.