America's Best Loved Country Songs: An Encyclopedia of More Than 3,000 Classics Through the 1980s

328 Pages·2010·3.66 MB·English

by  Dorothy Horstman

America’s Best Loved
Country Songs
This page intentionally left blank
America’s Best Loved
Country Songs
An Encyclopedia of More Than
3,000 Classics Through the 1980s
D H
OROTHY ORSTMAN
with FRITZI HORSTMAN
Foreword by MADI HORSTMAN
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Horstman, Dorothy.
America’s best loved country songs : an encyclopedia of more than 3,000
classics through the 1980s / Dorothy Horstman with Fritzi Horstman ;
foreword by Madi Horstman.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-4994-1
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
1. Country music—Discography. 2. Country music—Encyclopedias.
I. Horstman, Fritzi. II. Title.
ML156.4.C7H67 2010 782.42164203—dc22 2010010608
British Library cataloguing data are available
©2010 Dorothy Horstman. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, i ncluding photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without p ermission in writing from the p ublisher.
Front cover ©2010 Glow Images
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Contents
Foreword by Madi Horstman
vi
Preface
1
A Note to the Reader
2
The Song Listings
3
Index
307
v
Foreword by Madi Horstman
“Hello country fans.” My mother, Dorothy Horst man, opened her WNYC
radio show with these words every week during the years 1972 through 1977.
When she was growing up in Catahoula, Louisiana, on a sugar cane farm during
the 1930s and 1940s, music on the radio in the Deep South was a rare and cher-
ished form of entertainment, and it became the foundation of her lifelong love
of and dedication to country and western music.
While researching her first book, Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy, my
mother interviewed forgotten greats, seminal songwriters and major stars. A pro-
lific and talented songwriter herself, she was able to get the skinny, the dirt, the
lowdown and the backstory using her considerable knowledge, wit, charm, fried
chicken, hot coffee, and the occasional pecan cake. She was assisted throughout
by my father, Jim Horstman.
My sister, Fritzi Horstman, has undertaken the completion of this final work
by our mother, America’s Best-Loved Country Songs. I am proud of my mother for
holding a lamp up in the darkness of a fast-vanishing America, illuminating where
we come from, and what has been almost lost. I am proud of my father for see-
ing how important her work was and is, and for helping her at every step. I am
proud of my sister for undertaking the daunting task of bringing this book to
you.
Madi Horstman
Spring 2010
Madi Horstman is a gardener and an artist and lives in New York City.
vi
Preface
This book is a compendium of more than 3,200 of the most important songs in the
recorded history of country music over the past 150 years. Each song is documented with
essential publishing and recording information, and many are annotated by the songwriters
or described in historical notes by the author.
An encyclopedia only in format, the book is much more than a listing of songs. The author’s
comments provide a parade of colorful voices and little stories, as well as many household names,
that will intrigue any fan of country music. It is an essential tool for almost anyone in the music
industry; disc jockeys, musicians, recording artists, scholars and fellow songwriters will appre-
ciate the revelatory why, what and who that created this most American of art forms, coun-
try and western music. Its development is traced from its earliest roots to the hybrids of today.
The book includes all of the recorded number-one country hits from the early 1920s
through December 1989; 19th century popular songs which became part of the country music
repertory and have thus been preserved; gospel songs, the bedrock of country music; major
fiddle tunes used throughout country music history; waltzes; instrumentals; and humorous
songs. The repertories of all major and minor artists are included.
While many scholarly studies of jazz and rock music have been published, there is less
literature on country songs and songwriters. Dorothy Horstman’s first book, Sing Your Heart
Out, Country Boy, is considered a pioneer work in this field. The information on these songs
has been scattered and treated haphazardly for more than a century, and there is no single
source, including the publishers, licensing organizations or even the writers themselves, where
one can find all of the facts contained in this book.
The book’s format combines features of such works as Sigmund Spaeth’s History of Pop-
ular Music, Nat Shapiro’s Popular Musicseries, catalogue techniques of major licensing organ-
izations like ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, and Dorothy Horst man’s Sing Your Heart Out, Country
Boy.
Dorothy Horstman was involved with country music journalism for more than 20 years.
Early publication in magazines such as Country Song Roundup and Country Music led to a
weekly radio show on New York’s WNYC-FM, at the time the only country music radio pro-
gram in the city. In 1975, she published Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy, a compilation of
lyrics and author’s annotations of more than 500 of the most important country songs. It is
considered a classic in the country music industry.
America’s Best Loved Country Songs begins where Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy left
off. My mother was always passionate about finding out how a song came into being. A song-
writer herself, she was fascinated by the nuances of a song: what makes a song a hit, when
and why it was recorded, who recorded it, who else recorded it, why one song works and
another one doesn’t. These questions kept my mother writing this book for almost 20 years.
Dorothy Horstman passed away in 1999 and this book is her last word on the subject
of country music.
Fritzi Horstman
1
A Note to the Reader
The entries contain information relating to how long the song was on the
charts. The sample below is an example:
Country Chart:#1(4) 6/15/63 24 wks. This format would mean that the song
debuted on the country chart on June 15, 1963, remained there for 24 weeks and
was number one on the Billboard chart for 4 weeks.
AC Action signifies Adult Contemporary Action.
2
T S L
H E O N G I S T I N G S
1 Abilene.Music/Lyrics:Lester Brown/Bob Gibson/John D. Lou- with special lyrics by Homer and Jethro. Movies:The Gold Guitar
dermilk/Albert Stanton (music and lyrics); Arranged by John D. (Airlon) 1966, directed by J. Hunter Todd, starring Del Reeves,
Loudermilk. Copyright Date: 1963. Publisher: Acuff-Rose Music, Roy Drusky, Hugh X. Lewis, Margie Bowes, Skeeter Davis, Arnold
Inc. Licensed by:BMI. Earliest Recording Found:Lightning Hopkins Dorfman, George Ellis, Don Barber, John Fox, Mary Nell San-
(Alladin 3096) 1948. Made Famous by:George Hamilton IV (RCA tacroce, Bill Anderson, Eddie Hill, Bill Carlisle and Charlie Lou-
8181) 1963. Country Chart:#1(4) 6/15/63 24 wks., George Hamil- vin; Medium Cool(H&J) 1969, directed by Haskell Wexler, star-
ton IV (RCA 8181); #24 10/22/77 5 wks., Sonny James (Columbia ring Robert Foster, Verna Bloom and Peter Boners, based on the
10628). Pop Chart:#15 6/22/63 14 wks., George Hamilton IV (RCA novel The Concrete Wildernessby Jack Couffer. Author Notes:“I was
8181). AC Action:#4 7/27/63 8 wks., George Hamilton IV (RCA out in Fresno, California, working for a record company and they
8181). No. of Artists: 39. Movies: Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar called me to come down to Hollywood. I had a date with a girl
(Marathon) 1965, directed by Victor Duncan, starring Arnold that night and I had to call her and break the date. I said I had to
Stang, Pamela Hayes, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and featuring 31 go to Hollywood, and she asked what for, and I said, ‘They’re gonna
country acts. History:Two American cities are named Abilene, and put me in the movies, they’re gonna make a big star out of me.’”—
it’s not clear which one was immortalized in this song, although both Johnny Russell.
lay claim to it. Abilene, Kansas, was an important railhead and cat- 5 Addicted.Music/Lyrics:Cheryl Wheeler. Copyright Date:1985.
tle center during the late 1860s, situated as it was at the end of the
Publisher: Blue Gate Music/Cheryl Wheeler Music. Licensed by:
Chisholm Trail. Wild Bill Hickok was its marshal during the 1870s. ASCAP. First Recorded by:Cheryl Wheeler (Northstar W0001) 1985.
Its population continues to decline, although it is a major tourist Made Famous by:Dan Seals (Capitol 44130) 1988. Country Chart:
attraction as the boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Abilene, #1(1) 6/18/88 22 wks., Dan Seals (Capitol 44130). Pop Chart:None.
Texas, on the other hand, is the thriving shipping and financial
AC Action: None. No. of Artists: Two. Awards: ASCAP Country
center of the west central part of the state. It was founded in 1881 Award 1989.
with the arrival of the railroad and named after Abilene, Kansas.
6 Address Unknown.Music/Lyrics:Gene Autry/Denver Darling/
2 Above and Beyond (The Call of Love). Music/Lyrics: Harlan Vaughn Horton. Copyright Date:1945, renewed. Publisher:West-
Howard. Copyright Date:1959, renewed. Publisher:Tree Publish-
ern Music Publishing Co. Licensed by:BMI. First Recorded by:Gene
ing Co., Inc. Licensed by: BMI. First Recorded by: Wynn Stewart Autry (Columbia 36840) 1945. Made Famous by:Gene Autry (Co-
(Jackpot 48019) 1959. Made Famous by: Buck Owens (Capitol lumbia 36840) 1945. Country Chart:None. Pop Chart:None. AC
4337) 1960; Rodney Crowell (Columbia 68948) 1989. Country Action: None. No. of Artists: Five. Answers: “Your Address Un-
Chart: #3 3/7/60 30 wks., Buck Owens (Capitol 4337); #1 (1) known,” recorded by Roy Acuff (Columbia 20792) 1951, written by
7/1/89 20 wks., Rodney Crowell (Columbia 68948). Pop Chart:
Charlie Louvin and Ira Louvin. Notes: Not to be confused with
None. AC Action:None. No. of Artists:Nine. Awards:BMI Coun-
“Address Unknown,” written by Dedette L. Hill, Carmen Lom-
try Award 1960, 1990.
bardo and Johnny Marks. Author Notes: “Everybody gets a letter
Abraham and Isaac see I Am a Highly Educated Man. sometime marked ‘Address Unknown’ or ‘Return to Sender.’ Mine
3 Ace in the Hole.Music/Lyrics:Dennis Adkins. Copyright Date: was an accident. I don’t recall where I got the idea from. There was
1989. Publisher:Sweet Tater Tunes, Inc. Licensed by:ASCAP. First a pop song by the same title around the same time but I hadn’t
Recorded by:George Strait (MCA 53693) 1989. Made Famous by: heard it. It was by the Ink Spots, and a very dear friend of mine,
George Strait (MCA 53693) 1989. Country Chart:#1(1) 8/12/89 21 Johnny Marks, wrote it. I kid him about his and he kids me about
mine. Of course we came up together. He was struggling to get a
wks., George Strait (MCA 53693). Pop Chart:None. AC Action:
None. No. of Artists:One. Awards:ASCAP Country Award 1989. break early in the forties and we had our first big songs at the same
time.”—Vaughn Horton.
4 Act Naturally. Music/Lyrics: Voni Morrison/Johnny Russell.
Copyright Date:1963, renewed. Publisher:Tree Publishing Co., Inc. 7 Adios Amigo.Music/Lyrics:Jerry Livingston/Ralph Freed. Copy-
right Date:1962. Publisher:Milene Music, Inc. Licensed by:ASCAP.
Licensed by:BMI. First Recorded by:Buck Owens (Capitol 4937)
1963. Made Famous by:Country, Buck Owens (Capitol 4937) 1963; First Recorded by:Jim Reeves (RCA 8019) 1962. Made Famous by:
Pop, The Beatles (Capitol 5498) 1965. Country Chart: #1 (4) Jim Reeves (RCA 8019) 1962. Country Chart: #2 (9) 5/26/62 21
4/13/63 28 wks., Buck Owens (Capitol 4937); #27 7/15/89 11wks., wks., Jim Reeves (RCA 8019). Pop Chart:None. AC Action:None.
Buck Owens and Ringo Starr (Capitol 44409). Pop Chart: #47 No. of Artists:Six. Awards:ASCAP Country Award 1963.
9/25/65 7 wks., The Beatles (Capitol 5498). AC Action:None. No. 8 Afraid.Music/Lyrics:Fred Rose. Copyright Date:1949, renewed.
of Artists:42. Awards:BMI Country Award 1963. Parodies:“They’re Publisher:Milene Music, Inc. Licensed by:ASCAP. First Recorded
Gonna Put Me in the Army,” recorded by Homer and Jethro (RCA by: Rex Allen (Mercury 6192) 1949. Made Famous by: Rex Allen
Victor 8874) 1966, written by Vonie Morrison and Johnny Russell (Mercury 6192) 1949. Country Chart:#14 9/03/49 1Wk., Rex Allen
3