But “do her wrong”, he would. This song has been called by many names: Frankie, Frankie and Albert, and Frankie and Johnny, sung here by Burl Ives, Alma Kaye, Jack McCauley and Ted Tiller. It’s believed the legend is based on the actions of one Frankie Silver, who took an axe to her cheating husband in Toe River, North Carolina in 1831.
There are other theories out there. One of them resulted in a lawsuit brought by a woman claiming to be the Frankie. Find out more at soundbeat.org