Sleepy-Eyed John

"Sleepy-Eyed John" is a song that was a million-selling hit for Johnny Horton in 1961.[2]

"They'll Never Take Her Love from Me"
Single by Johnny Horton
B-side"They'll Never Take Her Love from Me"
ReleasedMarch 6, 1961[1]
GenreCountry
LabelColumbia Records
Songwriter(s)Tex Atchison

Overview

Written by left-handed fiddle player Tex Atchison, the song was first recorded in a Western swing style by Ole Rasmussen for Capitol Records in 1950, when Atchison played in Rasmussen's band, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as they toured California.[3][4] Billboard reviewed the 10-inch 78 rpm single, calling it a "real toe-tapper" appropriate for square dancing, with a "pert" vocal performance by Ted Wilds.[5] Atchison may have based the song on a traditional Kentucky bluegrass tune known as "Get Up, John" or "Sleepy John".[6][7]

The song's name was taken as the moniker of radio disc jockey John Lepley, who went by Sleepy-Eyed John. In the mid-1950s, Lepley held down the afternoon slot at Memphis station WHHM, and he promoted musical acts at a local entertainment complex called Clearpool, featuring Western swing bands at the Eagle's Nest stage. Lepley booked Elvis Presley to perform in 1954 – these early appearances helped Presley establish a fan base and his personal style.[8]

Atchison's song saw its biggest success with Johnny Horton.[1] Aided by a famous B-side – Horton's version of Hank Williams' "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" – the 45 rpm record debuted on Billboard's Country and Western chart in late April 1961, rising to number 9, and staying on the chart for eight weeks.[9]

A few months later, expatriate Tennessee country singer Johnny Duncan released a single of "Sleepy-Eyed John" on the Pye label in the UK, backed by his veteran UK band, the Blue Grass Boys. The flipside was another Atchison/Rasmussen tune: "I'm Still Bettin' on Love".[10]

In 1972, the song was recorded by the Norwegian bluegrass group Christiania Fusel & Blaagress. The lyrics were translated into the Norwegian language to describe an eccentric villager with a wooden leg.[11]

In the late 1990s, Bear Family Records issued a retrospective set of Rasmussen songs on Compact disc, the set titled Sleepy-Eyed John. The recordings were made during 1950–1952 when Rasmussen was signed to Capitol Records.[12]

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References
  1. "Song: Sleepy-Eyed John". Second Hand Songs. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  2. Gerald F. Vaughn (1982). "Tex Atchison: Fancy Fiddling and Fancy Singing". JEMF Quarterly. John Edwards Memorial Foundation. 18: 151–54.
  3. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tex-atchison-mn0000031683/biography
  4. http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/nc075120us
  5. Staff (July 1, 1950). "Record Reviews". Billboard. p. 104. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. Charles K. Wolfe (2015). Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. p. 59. ISBN 9780813149608.
  7. Neil V. Rosenberg; Charles K. Wolfe (2007). The Music of Bill Monroe. University of Illinois Press. p. 93. ISBN 9780252031212.
  8. https://elvisdaily.com/2018/04/25/special-elvis-collectibles-at-the-last-auction-at-graceland/
  9. Joel Whitburn (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts: The 1960s. Hal Leonard. p. 183. ISBN 9780898201758.
  10. http://www.45cat.com/record/7n15358
  11. https://tv.nrk.no/serie/landhandelen/fuha01000475/01-06-1975#t=22m59s
  12. https://www.bear-family.com/rasmussen-ole-sleepy-eyed-john.html
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