Oklahoma Hills
Song written by Woody and Jack Guthrie
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Regional anthem of Oklahoma | |
| Lyrics | Woody Guthrie, 1945 |
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| Music | Jack Guthrie, 1945 |
| Adopted | 2001; 23 years ago (2001) |
"Oklahoma Hills" is a song written by Woody Guthrie. In 2001 it was named the official Folk Song of the state of Oklahoma.
Chorus
- Way down yonder in the Indian nation
- I rode my pony on the reservation
- In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
- Way down yonder in the Indian nation
- A cowboy’s life is my occupation
- In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
Jack Guthrie Recording
Jack Guthrie, Woody's cousin, changed the lyrics and music slightly and in 1945 recorded a Western swing version, which reached Number 1 on the Juke Box Folk Records charts.[1] It remains the best-known version of "Oklahoma Hills", and was the biggest hit of Jack Guthrie's fairly short life. Though Woody originated the song, the official Woody Guthrie website credits both him and Jack as its writers, perhaps because Jack's changes have become so well known.
Recordings
Recordings of "Oklahoma Hills" have been made by these singers, among others:
- Chet Atkins
- Floyd Cramer
- Gene Autry
- Moe Bandy
- Johnny Bond
- Tommy Collins
- The Dinning Sisters
- Charlie Feathers
- Arlo Guthrie, Woody's son,recorded the song for his album Running Down the Road, released in 1969 by Warner Bros. Records.
- Jimmy Lafave
- Mary McCaslin
- Country Joe McDonald
- John Mellencamp
- Michael J. Miles
- Michael Parks
- Marvin Rainwater
- Jim Reeves
- The Reno Brothers
- Carl Smith
- Bruce Springsteen
- Kay Starr
- James Talley
- Country singer Hank Thompson, joined by His Brazos Valley Boys, recorded a well-known version of "Oklahoma Hills" in 1961. Thompson's Western swing rendition reached No. 10 on the Billboard magazine Hot C&W Singles chart.[2]
- Ernest Tubb
- T. Texas Tyler
- Ian Tyson
- Jimmy Wakely
- Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
- Ramblin' Jack Elliott
- David Carradine, in the 1976 Bound for Glory movie and in its soundtrack album, Academy Award winner for Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score.
Accolades
Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[3] In 2001, the Oklahoma Legislature declared it to be the official state folk song.
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 146.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 345.
- ^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
External links
- Lyrics at woodyguthrie.org.
- Oklahoma Session Laws—Section 47 - Oklahoma State Folk Song; declaring "Oklahoma Hills" as the Oklahoma State Folk Song.
| Preceded by | Most Played Juke Box Folk Records number one single by Jack Guthrie July 28, 1945 | Succeeded by |
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