Western Writing

In 1927, American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor Carl Sandburg collected and published the traditional American cowboy song The Colorado Trail in his American Songbag. Most musicians who recorded it have added their own lines as the American Songbag version only included a single short verse. About the Song Sandburg said he learned the song […]

Oh! Susanna, or simply O Susanna, is one of the most famous American songs ever written. It is a folk song that the father of American music, Stephen Foster, first published in 1848. Members of the Western Writers of America picked and added it to their list of the Top 100 Western songs of all […]

Hollywood-based Eliot Daniel and Johnny Lange produced “Blue Shadows On The Trail” for the 1948 Disney animated film entitled “Melody Time.” Roy Rogers and The Sons of The Pioneers first recorded the song on December 1, 1947, releasing it as a single on March 1948. The Western-styled melody played during the opening of the final […]

Frank Loesser (lyrics) and Joseph J. Lilley (music) wrote the song Jingle Jangle Jingle in 1942 for the American adventure film, The Forest Rangers, sung by Dick Thomas. It’s also known as ‘I’ve Got Spurs That Jingle Jangle Jingle. Many musicians such as Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Glenn Miller, and The Merry Macs have recorded […]

Jimmy Driftwood wrote the song The Battle of New Orleans. Many artists recorded it, but Johnny Horton is the singer who is most associated with this song. In fact, on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959, his version reached number 1 and became the No. 1 song for 1959. In the late 1950s and early […]

Someday Soon joins the Top 100 Western songs of all time in 2010 as members of the Western Writers of America added it to the list. Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tyson composed Someday Soon, which he then recorded with his wife, Sylvia Tyson, as the musical duo Ian & Sylvia. “Some Day Soon” appeared on their 1964 album “Northern Journey” […]

Grandpa was a 1986 country ballad Jamie O’Hara wrote and first recorded by the famous country music duo, The Judds. They recorded the song in May 1985 and released it as the second single on their album, Rockin’ with Rhythm. Grandpa became The Judds’ sixth number one hit, spending 20 weeks on Billboard’s Hot Country […]

In 1927, Carl Sandburg collected and published the traditional American cowboy song I Ride an Old Paint in his American Songbag. Members of the Western Writers of America chose and included it in their list of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. History of the Song Sandburg discovered the song by western poets Margaret […]

Aside from The Last Comanche Moon and The Last Wild White Buffalo, The Old Cantina is another song by Mike Blakely that members of the Western Writers of America chose as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. About Mike Blakely Since 1993, Blakely has been writing Western fiction. Around eighteen of […]

The Wayfaring Stranger is a popular American folk song that was probably founded in the early 19th century about a mournful soul on life’s journey. Same as most folk songs, numerous variations of the lyrics exist, and several versions of the song have been published over time by famous singers, often associated with times of […]

I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart is a country and Western song that Ruby Blevins, or Patsy Montana, originally wrote and recorded in 1935. It became the first million-seller by a female artist in country music, selling more than two million copies worldwide. Hence, the success of “I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart” […]

Tom Dooley is an American folk song, a traditional North Carolina folk song, to be exact. The Ballad of Tom Dooley drew basis on the much researched 1866 murder in Wilkes Country, North Carolina—the killing of Laura Foster allegedly by Tom Dula. Its original writers remain unknown despite gaining popularity in the North Carolina area […]