When Johnny Comes Marching Home

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When Johnny Comes Marching Home for Memorial Day. Many a proud parent has said goodbye to their son or daughter with a prayer that they will be safe and return. Sadly, many gave their lives for us and we are forever grateful for their sacrifice. Happily, many did return, not the same person that left, but they did return. Johnny Comes Marching Home is about that longing for the return of loved ones. Although it is from 1863, the sentiment has never changed though the many wars and many years. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” was a popular song from the American Civil War that expressed people’s longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war. Patrick Gilmore wrote the song during the Civil War in 1863 for his sister Annie as she prayed for the safe return of her fiancé, Union Light Artillery Captain John.… Read the rest

Back In The Saddle Again

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Back In The Saddle Again. Have to give Gene Autry a chance since we visited Roy Rogers and Dale Evens yesterday. Another great old song. I had to pay $1.99 to buy this one, too. Of the thousands of songs I have, this one was also missing. I really wanted it to be a slow Clippity Cloppity beat, but somewhere in my inner child, she would not have that. LOL It ended up as a Bibbidi Boppidi song. I hope you enjoy this great song from the past. “Back in the Saddle Again” was the signature song of American cowboy entertainer Gene Autry. It was co-written by Autry with Ray Whitley and first released in 1939. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as fifth of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.… Read the rest

Happy Trails

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Happy Trails. I saw a photo of Gene Autry today and thought of Happy Trails. I know Roy Rogers and Dale Evens sang it, but it popped into my mind and I started humming it. LOL So many things pop up in my mind!!! I had to buy a copy. I have hundreds of pieces of music, but not one Happy Trails. It is simple, but I ended up doing a bunch of videos and gave up. Used the last one. LOL For what I am getting paid, good enough is good enough. “Happy Trails” is a song by Roy Rogers and wife Dale Evans, known as the theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show in which they starred. It was written by Evans and always sung by the duo over the end credits of those programs. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.… Read the rest

Alley Cat

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Alley Cat. A fun song to play and clap your hands or tap your feet to. I don’t think there was ever a job we played that we didn’t play this. It is a real crowd pleaser. So I though my personal friends will like it since most are not into playing music – but love to listen to old songs they know. The strange note 3rd from the end is when my dog barked at me and surprised me! Everyone’s a critic! “Alley Cat”, also known as “Alleycat” and “The Alley Cat,” is a popular instrumental song made most famous by the Danish pianist and composer Bent Fabric, released in 1962. Fabric (born Bent Fabricius-Bjerre) wrote the tune under the pseudonym Frank Björn. The song was originally released in November, 1961, under the Danish title “Omkring et flygel,” which means “Around a Piano.”… Read the rest

Fancy Pants

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Fancy Pants. I had more fun playing this song and making the video than a kid in a candy store with a ten dollar bill! So much fun to play. I used the Jazz Scat voices and my trusty tuba. Al Hirt played it up beat and almost Herb Alpert style. I hadn’t listened to the original, so I ended up with an bit slower version. I hope you enjoy the music and you want to clap your hands or dance about a bit. “Fancy Pants” is a song written by Floyd Cramer and was recorded by Al Hirt for his 1965 album, That Honey Horn Sound.… Read the rest

Open Up You Your Heart and Let The Sunshine In

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Another Sunshine Song. Open Up Your Heart And Let The Sunshine In. A Facebook friend asked about the song. I looked it up and slightly remembered it. Once I started playing it, I did remember singing it back in the good old days! Thank You for the memory. I hope you enjoy singing along and feeling a bit of sunshine! This was written by Stuart Hamblen in 1953 and released it in an album in 1956, “It Is No Secret.” When he was 18 years old, Stuart took a job on KAYO-AM radio in Abilene, Texas, becoming radio’s first “singing” cowboy. He went on to write many songs including “This Ole House”.… Read the rest

You Are My Sunshine

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You Are My Sunshine. This is my musette, waltz version. I never studied music theory, so it might break every rule written, but I had fun with it and did it my way. LOL My non-musician friends really like to hear the old, standard singalongs. Can’t get any better than You Are My Sunshine. So I hope you singalong. “You Are My Sunshine” is a song popularized by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell in 1939. It has been declared one of the state songs of Louisiana because of its association with Davis, a country music singer and governor of the state in the years 1944–1948 and 1960–1964.… Read the rest

Whatever Will Be, Will Be – Que Sera, Sera

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Happy Mother’s Day. Que Sera, Sera – Whatever Will Be, Will Be seemed like a great Mother’s Day song. I am sure we have all asked our Mom’s about our future. It is an easy, fun singalong. I dug up a bunch of my old photos back when I was probably asking my Mom if I would be pretty or rich or ??? I can’t believe how old the cars are in my photos!!! I was born in 1944, so that’s a hint. I hope you enjoy my old fashioned version and sing along. “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” is a song written by the team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans that was first published in 1955. Doris Day introduced it in the Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), singing it as a cue to their on screen kidnapped son.… Read the rest

Two Guitars

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I wanted to do a traditional accordion piece and looked into my old, very old lesson books. I always had fun playing this when I was young and have more fun now that I am old. LOL I had this for a lesson Oct. 29, 1952 – not a typo, 1952. I definitely did not play it as written, but just played it my way and had fun today. Although known as a Russian Gypsy folk-song , Two Guitars (Две гитары) actually had a composer -Ivan Vasiliev 1810 – 1870 with lyrics by Apollon Grigoriev. It seems to have been written for a Gypsy folk choir that Vasiliev ran with Grigoriev.… Read the rest

What A Wonderful World

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Beautiful song my friend has asked me to play quite a few times. It’s a rainy, Spring day in Ohio, so a wonderful day to think about What A Wonderful World we live in. “What a Wonderful World” is a song written by Bob Thiele (as “George Douglas”) and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single, which topped the pop charts in the United Kingdom.… Read the rest

A Rose And A Baby Ruth

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A Rose and A Baby Ruth. What fun to play and sing. I actually didn’t remember this one, but you can tell it is an old early rock tune. Thought I would sing the silly lyrics. I hope you feel transported back to the 50’s. LOL “A Rose and a Baby Ruth” is a song written by John D. Loudermilk under his “Johnny Dee” pseudonym. The song was published in 1956. The best-known version was recorded by George Hamilton IV. The song reached number 6 on the Billboard magazine pop chart and spent 20 weeks on the chart.… Read the rest