Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)

Subject: Song Origin: Whole World Round
From: Jim Krause
Date: 09 Mar 01 - 05:36 PM

I found the lyrics to a song I knew most of; I only wanted to make sure I had one of the verses right. Turns out I did. OK, then I got to wondering where the song Whole World Round came from, how old is it, and is it Public Domain. The DigiTrad credits a Dillards recording. I have a recording by Lee Berg and Rory Block who do a beautiful duet on this song. The LP was made back in the late '70s, and is titled Music from Mud Acres: Woodstock Mountains Some of you I'm sure know the record I'm talking about. Happy Traum had a hand in producing it. Any information about the song would be appreciated. Thanks
Jim

Subject: RE: Help: Song Origin Whole World Round
From: Jim Krause
Date: 13 Mar 01 - 02:07 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Help: Song Origin Whole World Round
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Mar 01 - 02:12 PM

I can't find 'Whole World Round' in DT.

Subject: RE: Help: Song Origin Whole World Round
From: Jim Krause
Date: 13 Mar 01 - 02:28 PM

Guest, Click here and you'll find 'em.
Jim

Subject: RE: Help: Song Origin Whole World Round
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Mar 01 - 02:41 PM

I don't think "Whole World Round" is in the DT, but you'll find it in This Dillards Thread.

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 03:09 PM

OK, just 21 years late... I have "The Whole World Round" on the "Woodstock Mountains" LP sung (beautifully) by Lee Berg and Rory Block as noted by the first poster, where it is credited as traditional; and also on the Dillards' "Live-Almost" (1964) where it is credited to "J. Stuart, M. Jayne", Mitch Jayne being the Dillards' bass player and front man of the day. The Stuart/Jayne authorship is confirmed by Rodney Dillard in this interview where he says: " "The Whole World Round": What happens when you can hear your neighbor’s car start up or the low end wolfer on somebody’s jeep who’s two miles away? A lonesome song, written by Mitch and Joe Stuart in 1964..."

Mitch Jayne, together with Dillards' mandolinist Dean Webb, also penned "The Old Home Place", another (possibly more frequently heard/recorded bluegrass original now approaching "standard" status, I would say...) ... I heard both of these first in the early 70s, "The Whole World Round" on my copy of the Dillards album, and "The Old Home Place" (which appeared first on their previous album, "Back Porch Bluegrass" from 1963) floating around in sessions.

In another portion of his Jeremy Roberts interview (initial portion cited above), Rodney says:

"Jayne was also a talented songwriter and novelist who rescued a number of the Dillards’ earliest shows in front of indifferent audiences utilizing sharp comic timing. Jayne co-wrote the majority of the band’s essential songs — “Dooley”, “Old Home Place,” “There Is a Time,” “The Whole World Round,” “Nobody Knows,” “The Biggest Whatever, “Listen to the Sound,” “Ebo Walker” — and remained a staunch outdoorsman until his death in 2010."

Just in case anyone is interested!

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 12:40 AM

Which just goes to show, if your mudcat question does not get answered straight away, just wait 21 years and you may get lucky...

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 09:38 AM

Meanwhile ......... 21 years and a day later; although, to be honest, I'm at least half a day behind you Tony -

The sleeve notes on "Live Almost", written by Mitch Jayne, explain that he wrote the song "to a tune composed by Joe Stuart, formerly with the Bill Monroe band, ..... and it was arranged by Rodney Dillard."

See - some of us are still listening!
Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 02:45 PM

Aha, thanks Ray! Actually, my copy of the vinyl "Live Almost" went AWOL many years back in the 1970s or 80s, probably lent it to someone and never got it back... perhaps it was to you!! All I have currently is the ability to listen via the interweb, thanks to Spotify's free tier! You can see the back cover via Discogs, unfortunately the text is too small to read...

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 05:11 PM

If I can find your email address, I’ll scan it and send you a copy.

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 06:29 PM

That would be nice... you can reach me at tonyrees49 [at] gmail.com ...

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: GUEST,cnd
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 07:32 PM

If it's a common enough album, often, they'll be on Archive.org, which has a "liber notes" tab that I've found useful. The search functionality of them seems to be much worse than their books for one reason or another, but you can at least read it:

https://archive.org/details/lp_live-almost_the-dillards

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: GUEST,cnd
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 07:32 PM

*liner not liber

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 09:10 PM

Thanks CND, liner notes there as you say and perfectly readable thanks.

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: rich-joy
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 09:42 PM

Dillards recording :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ9I9Yu26mY


Lee Berg with Rory Block :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaDPGNNlqmA

(which was the recording we learnt it from (thanks to Stewie!), in Mná (NT) back in the mid-80s :)


Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: rich-joy
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 09:47 PM

Sorry, but just found this live version by The Dillards in 1999 - in Denmark!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RtRN-t9HR8

R-J

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 23 Sep 22 - 06:42 AM

Reading the title of this thread I couldn't help but think of the weights and measures mnemonic:
"A pint is a pound the whole world round."
Which is very US centric where a pint is 16 fluid ounces.
Over here, in UK, "A pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter". (20 fl oz)

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 23 Sep 22 - 06:54 AM

Although this song is one that has been in my own repertoire, I could never quite understand the key message ie. is the protagonist trying to settle down, or to travel the whole world round,?? Or maybe needs to do (b) in order to accomplish (a) ... just wondering!

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: rich-joy
Date: 23 Sep 22 - 07:18 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keWqnV4pcP4

Tony, the intro to this version by The Dillards talks of why/how The Ozarks were settled (ensuring plenty of space between neighbours!!)


R-J

Subject: RE: Origin: Whole World Round (from The Dillards)
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 30 Sep 22 - 01:39 PM

To my mind, the melody for this song seems virtually the same as the Same Old Man at the Mill song, which the Dillards included on their previous album (Back Porch Bluegrass).