The Ballad of Davy Crockett

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"The Ballad of Davy Crockett"
Thomas W. Blackburn

"The Ballad of Davy Crockett" is a song with music by

Disneyland
, in the premiere episode of October 27, 1954.

Background

Davy Crockett, first telecast on December 15, 1954. This version was sung by The Wellingtons. Parker played the role of Davy Crockett in the miniseries and continued in four other episodes made by Walt Disney Studios. Buddy Ebsen co-starred as George "Georgie" Russel, and Jeff York played legendary boatman Mike Fink
.

Billboard magazine charts in 1955: Hayes' version made number 1 on the weekly chart (from March 26 through April 23) and number 7 for the year, Parker's reached number 6 on the weekly charts and number 31 for the year, while Ford's peaked at number 4 on the weekly country chart and number 5 on the weekly pop chart and charted at number 37 for the year. A fourth version, by bluegrass singer Mac Wiseman, reached number 10 on the radio charts in May 1955.[3] The song also reached number 1 on the Cash Box chart, from March 26 through May 14, 1955. A contemporary version also exists by Western singing group the Sons of the Pioneers. Over ten million copies of the song were sold.[4]
Louis Armstrong also recorded the song in 1968.

In the United Kingdom, Hayes' version reached number 2 in the

New Musical Express chart; Ford's version achieved number 3, and a version by UK singer Max Bygraves reached number 20. Several other British artistes recorded versions in 1955 and 1956, including Billy Cotton, Gary Miller, Ronnie Ronalde, and Dick James. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[5]

The Crockett craze

Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (released in Britain in 1956) and to make the country's youth "Crockett conscious". There was already a "Crockett craze" in the U.S., where the episodes had become wildly popular. Crockett merchandise was produced en masse, the most iconic item being the imitation coonskin cap. The craze became immensely popular amongst schoolchildren, and the ballad made its way across the Atlantic Ocean.[6] A French version by Annie Cordy
was number 1 for five weeks in France in August 1956.

United States Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee wore a Davy Crockett cap during the 1956 campaign, as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. Adlai Stevenson and Kefauver lost in the general election to incumbents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon.

The Crockett phenomenon is referenced in books of the time such as Back in the Jug Agane, one of the Molesworth series by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle.

The craze was referenced in the film

Lorraine Baines' brothers appears wearing a coonskin cap. The song is sung by the characters Henry and Sammy in the Country Bear Jamboree. The 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox
opens with the eponymous fox playing the song on his belt radio.

Parodies

Several parodies were issued in 1955, including "Duvid Crockett" by

Yogi Yorgesson; and "The Ballad of Davy Crew-Cut" by Homer and Jethro
.

In the South Park episode "Raising the Bar", James Cameron plays the song during his underwater voyage to literally "raise the bar" for morality's sake, except this version replaces Davy Crockett with James Cameron himself, therefore being a parody.[citation needed]

Covers

References

  1. ^ "Bill Hayes: A Conversation". Themacgyverproject.blogspot.com. 13 August 2015.
  2. ^ "FSM Board: DAVY CROCKETT(TV 1954)George Bruns- Recordman #110". Filmscoremonthly.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  3. ^ Billboard, May 28, 1955, Most Played By Jockeys, p. 58
  4. ^ "Reporter-News Online: Texas News -- The life, legend of Davy Crockett". 29 September 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  5. ^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
  6. ISBN 978-0940322691
  7. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2
    .

External links
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