Does anyone know the name of the reciter?

The original hit version of this song was by a country singer called Carson Robison. It reached # 14 on the US national charts in 1948. There was also a cover version by Tex Williams at around the same time.

Later recordings were by Walter Brennan (1974?) and Doc Watson. The tune is semi-classical, almost like something Mozart or Haydn might have noodled with and then orchestrated beyond recognition.

Bob