Olivia Newton-John - The Banks Of The Ohio (1971)

Lenore Somerset - The Banks Of The Ohio (1964)

 Australia
Traditional

Track on the W&G album Lenore Somerset Sings by Melbourne-based folk and country singer often seen on popular TV shows in the 1960s. Lenore Somerset (1931-2006), née Miller, was from Queensland but moved to Melbourne in the late 50s. As a child she recorded with her uncle, the C&W singer Buddy Williams, and she had been with the Queensland Opera before moving to Melbourne.

Reference, further reading: 1. Singing Jillaroo Hit High Folk, C&W Notes, obituary in Melbourne Age, 27 October 2007, republished here. 2. Warren Fahey, The Early Years of the Folk Revival in Melbourne at WarrenFahey.com.

Thanks to Bill Casey for version alert.

Joan Baez - The Banks Of The Ohio (1959)

(Traditional, Arr. Baez)
 USA
Traditional

Notable recording of traditional song.

Appears on several Joan Baez albums, including Folksingers Around Harvard Square (1959) and Joan Baez Vol. 2 (1961).

Olivia Newton-John cites Joan Baez as one of her favourite artists.

Monroe Brothers (Charles And Bill) - On The Banks Of The Ohio (1936)

(Traditional, Arr. Joe Harris?)
 USA
Traditional

10-inch 78 rpm disc on Bluebird.

Kentucky mandolinist and band leader Bill Monroe (1911-1996) with his guitarist brother Charlie (1903-1975).

This archived page from the now-defunct Ballads from Deep Gap, NC and Okemah, OK points to the similarity with two other traditional songs, The Lone Green Valley and Omie Wise.

On The Banks Of The Ohio has been recorded, for example, by Johnny Cash (Carter Family) 1964 (album Keep On The Sunny Side); Tony Rice 1977; Elliott Murphy 2003 (album Strings of the Storm); Bill Monroe & Doc Watson (album Live Duet Recordings 1963-1980) and numerous others.

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When the Monroe brothers’ duo broke up in the late 1930s, Bill formed Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys. His development and popularisation of bluegrass music earned him the nickname The Father of Bluegrass.

bluegrass
1 : any of several grasses (genus Poa) of which some have bluish-green culms
especially : KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
2 [from the Blue Grass Boys, performing group, from Bluegrass state, nickname of Kentucky] : country music characterized by the use of unamplified stringed instruments (such as banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin), by free improvisation, and by close usually high-pitched harmony

Merriam-Webster

The Blue Sky Boys - Down On The Banks Of The Ohio (1936)

(Traditional)
 USA
Traditional

This 1936 version was heard in the soundtrack of Paper Moon (1973), the Peter Bogdanovich film with Ryan and Tatum O’Neal.

The Blue Sky Boys were the Bolick brothers, Earl and Bill, a hillbilly duo with guitar and mandolin from East Hickory, North Carolina. They flourished in the 30s when they recorded prolifically, and continued after war service until 1951. In the 60s some of their recordings were reissued on LP and they returned to touring for a few years.

The brothers were highly regarded, including by The Everly Brothers who cited them as an influence.

Further reading: Blue Sky Boys Biography by David Vinopal at All Music.