Elektra EKL-3. Frank Warner Sings American Folk Songs And Ballads. Although this is not the earliest recorded version of "Tom Dooley" (the earliest was recorded in 1929) this is the record that The Kingston Trio adapted for their 1958 hit. Like most folk songs it is based on a real event where Tom Dula (pronounced "Dooley") returned from the Civil War and murdered his girlfriend believing she had cheated on him while he was gone.