Origins: Tennessee Waltz

Subject: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: GUEST,x
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 10:03 AM

http://www.hughcan.com/music/tennessee_waltz/tennessee_waltz_original_sheet_music.pdf

Please note that the DT has the song 'Tennessee Waltz' misattributed. The original sheet music is in the above PDF.

The songwriters were Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King. FYI.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Rapparee
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 10:12 AM

The Library of Congress has the cataloging record here.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 11:08 AM

Okayeee. But I can barely bring myself to believe that anybody was legally named Redd, and as for 'Pee Wee' being somebody's real first name, forget it.

It's a good song, though. I like to play it on piano.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 12:42 PM

Henry Ellis Stewart = Redd Stewart. He was a member (lead singer) of the Golden West Cowboys, a band led by Pee Wee King; Eddy Arnold was a member. "You Belong to Me" and "Slowpoke" also were written by the duo.

Pee Wee King was Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 12:49 PM

Redd Stewart born in Ashland Tennessee was the singer with the band of Frank 'Peewee' King who was born n Wisconsin but took up residence in Louisville, Kentucky. He was given the moniker 'Peewee' by Gene Autry being what we Londoners call a short arse. They are both well documented.

Hoot

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 01:10 PM

Dunno what a 'short arse' is; Pee Wee was Polish-American.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Stringsinger
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 01:34 PM

According to one source, the two writers were listening to Bill Monroe's "Kentucky Waltz" on the radio while driving and decided that Tennessee needed a song as well.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Will Fly
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 02:33 PM

I did a YouTube video of this just over 2 years ago (Tennessee Waltz
), and one of the commenters said: " really okay the name of the song is Angel's Lullaby By Richard Marx".

Now where in hell did he get that from?

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 04:05 PM

Good grass.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: PHJim
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 11:21 PM

I like a few more chords than the sheet music shows. Try it this way:

|C C C7 F C A7 D7 G7 C C C7 F C G7 C C |
|C E7 F C C A7 D7 G7 C C C7 F C G7 C C |

I must admit that I do the opposite of the DT, usually crediting the song to Peewee, neglecting to mention Redd's contribution, but I will correct this in the future.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: JennieG
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 04:33 PM

Q, "short arse" means that someone is not very tall.....i.e. their arse is a bit too close to the ground!

Subject: Chords: Tennessee Waltz
From: Genie
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 09:48 PM

I'm with you, Jim, except that I play it in G,   

|G G G7 C G A7 A7 G7 G G G7 C G G7 G G |
|G B7 C G G A7 A7 G7 G G G7 C G G7 G G |

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 22 Jan 14 - 09:31 AM

Slight (!) thread creep. A few years ago we were on holiday in St Lucia, WI. Where we stayed put on music every night: jazz duos, local folk duo, steel pan band and one night the local "Trish Trash" dance band- several percussion, fiddle, banjo & guitars. Their opening number was...The Tennessee Waltz. Not as subtle a version as Will's.

RtS

Subject: Chords Add: TENNESSEE WALTZ
From: PHJim
Date: 22 Jan 14 - 10:01 PM

Genie, I also play it in G. I transposed to C because the sheet music was in C. I just do it a wee bit different than your version. I add an E7 before the A7.

|G G G7 C G E7 A7 G7 G G G7 C G G7 G G |
|G B7 C G G E7 A7 G7 G G G7 C G G7 G G |

Give it a shot. Your way works fine too and you may not like the E7, but...

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: PHJim
Date: 22 Jan 14 - 10:08 PM

Wrong. This is the right way. I should always try it out before I hit the "Submit Message" button.

|G G G C G E7 A7 D7 G G G C G D7 G G |
|G B7 C G G E7 A7 D7 G G G C G D7 G G |

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: GUEST,Jim Lad
Date: 22 Nov 20 - 10:33 AM

I'm puzzled!

On the original recording of "Tennessee Waltz" by Pee Wee King the opening line is "I Was DANCING with my darling to the Tennessee Waltz" and that was how Patti Page sang it on her million selling hit recording.
However, on a version by Jo Stafford she sings "I Was WALTZING with my darling etc.".
Since then there have been many versions using WALTZING and just as many using DANCING.
Does anyone know the reason for this. I personally favour DANCING.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: leeneia
Date: 22 Nov 20 - 10:44 AM

Thanks, Jim Lad. Now that you've pointed it out, I like "dancing" better too, because there's nice alliteration between dancing and darling.

Speaking as a person with a sister-in-law from Tennessee, I want to point out that Tennessee rhymes with Hennessey. TEN-eh-see not ten-eh-SEE. This is esp. good to know when you sing the last line:

   ...the beautiful TENN-e-see Waltz.
===========
Thanks to whoever mentioned the song "You Belong to Me." I think I'll learn that one for singing around the house.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: JennieG
Date: 22 Nov 20 - 04:21 PM

My ukulele group plays it, leeneia - it's one of our favourites.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 23 Nov 20 - 07:47 AM

One afternoon we were sitting in the sun high up on the back wall of the ancient Greek amphitheatre on the island of Lipari, off the north coast of Sicily. A young couple sauntered below us, just in front of the stage area, did a bit of snogging and went into a sort of dance hold. I took out my little blues harp and started playing the Tennessee Waltz. The amphitheatre acoustic was surprisingly good. To my utter delight they took the bait and danced a beautiful waltz. Good times!

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 23 Nov 20 - 03:29 PM

Ah, before someone attacks me, I got a bit mixed up there. The amphitheatre in the citadel on Lipari is actually a modern reconstruction, not at all ancient! I was thinking of the one in Taormina in Sicily...or was it the one in Pompei...or the one in Siracusa... dammit, can't enough of those amphitheatres. We've even got two in Cornwall!

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 24 Nov 20 - 10:52 AM

One seldom encounters the elusive second verse of Tennessee Waltz. For the record, here it is:

Now I’ve got another girlfriend but she’s not quite as pretty
As the one who went waltzing away
And if I catch up with my buddy I’ll give him a licking
That’ll last him for many a day

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 Nov 20 - 08:50 PM

wherever it was, Steve, a lovely moment!

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 26 Nov 20 - 09:07 PM

It was definitely Lipari and it was a lovely moment in a lovely place. The film Il Postino was made partly in those islands, on Salina, which is right next to Lipari. Also in the Aeolian archipelago is Stromboli, which we visited, and Vulcano, with a spectacular crater you can walk up to in less than an hour. We got the best view I can ever remember in my whole life from the Vulcano crater...

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: leeneia
Date: 27 Nov 20 - 12:25 PM

I had a similar situation at a Starbuck's last year. I had to wait a long time for a decaf, and while I waited a handsome lad carrying a bouquet of flowers approached his girl, gave her the flowers, and they clinched. I felt this called for background music, so I whistled a modern air, composed on the spot for them.

I wonder if they ever noticed.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Nov 20 - 07:23 AM

Just a thought, the person who lost his/her sweetheart in those circumstances was really very lucky, if the darling could be 'stolen' in the time a waltz takes, then he/she wouldn't be worth crying over, and a 'friend' like that is better lost too.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tennessee Waltz
From: fat B****rd
Date: 28 Nov 20 - 09:41 AM

Inspiration descended so I'm listening to Miss Stafford sing the song in question even as I type. :-)