Artist: Burl Ives
Author: Harlan Howard
Label: Decca
Year: 1962
On lp Burl, along with five other Harlan Howard compositions. Harlan Howard also wrote Heartaches By The Number, No Charge, I've Got A Tiger By The Tail and Streets Of Baltimore. (see there)
Covers:
Johnny Cash [with The Carter Family; top 20 C&W; asked the author if he objected against re-locating the song subject from coal mining to cotton picking]
Ray Charles [top 5 US, top 3 R&B]
Eddy Mitchell [hit Fr as Fauché]
Harlan Howard [author]
Gino Santercole [hit It as Sono Un Fallito]
Patty Loveless [as a coalminer's daughter, she sings the original lyrics]
Burl Ives sang it as a coal mining song, the original idea. Harlan Howard was from Kentucky, so his heart was with the local miners.
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)