Less than a week away from Halloween… let’s ring in the scary holiday with a ballad from the Johnny Cash catalogue. We’re right in the middle of “Spooky Season,” and just a few sleeps away from Hallow’s Eve, so why not shine on a light on what has to be the spookiest song of the Man in Black’s entire catalogue? That might be a stretch, considering Cash put out a number of dark songs like “Ain’t No Grave,” “The Beast in Me,” and “The Long Black Veil.” But if I had to nail down one song as the scariest (’tis the season), my money is on the chilling “Delia’s Gone.” The song was a part of his critically acclaimed American Recordings project that was released in 1994. Believe it or not, Johnny Cash wasn’t doing all that well in album sales later in his career, and this Rick Rubin-produced project ended up being very successful after years of swings and misses. It certainly reinvigorated his image, and brought to life songs like “Redemption,” “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry,” and the aforementioned “Delia’s Gone.” Johnny Cash had actually already recorded “Delia’s Gone” on his 1962 album The Sound Of Johnny Cash, but something drove the country music legend to double dip and record it again. One could argue that the second time around – some 30 years after he originally recorded – was a little bit more haunting than the first. The murder ballad is often traced back to an actual murder that took place on Christmas Day in 1900. 14-year-old Delia Green was murdered in Savannah, Georgia, and the tragic story inspired a number of folk and country songs – some called “Delia’s Gone,” and others simply penned as “Delia.” According to University of Georgia chemistry professor John Garst, who scoured old newspaper clippings from around 1900, Delia was a young girl in a sexual relationship with another young boy named Moses Houston. At a Christmas Eve party, Moses started getting a little vocal about his sexual escapades with Delia (perhaps a little liquored up), and she didn’t take too kindly to him telling everybody that they were sleeping together. She chewed him out in front of everybody, and that was enough for him to get a gun and shoot her dead. And remember, these kids were about 14 or 15 at the time. Moses was quickly convicted for murder and sentenced to life in prison. He served 13 years and was eventually paroled by the governor of Georgia. Blind Willie McTell, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings and various other blues, folk and country artists have recorded different versions of the song through the years. Though like I said, none are as bone-chilling as when Johnny Cash re-recorded it in 1994 for American Recordings. And the music video followed suit, portraying the “Man in Black” in as-creepy-as-can-be fashion and calling upon a young Kate Moss to play Delia. It’s the perfect Johnny Cash song to throw on for your Halloween party… and everyone knows that scary stuff is that much spookier when it’s based on a true story. Take a listen… and Happy Halloween! The post Johnny Cash’s Dark Murder Ballad “Delia’s Gone” Is The Perfect, Spooky Song For Halloween first appeared on Whiskey Riff.