"Deep River" is an anonymous

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

spiritual, popularized by Henry Burleigh in his 1916 collection ''Jubilee Songs of the USA''.

Overview

The song was first mentioned in print in 1867, when it was published in the first edition of ''The Story of the

Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American '' a cappella'' ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditio ...

: With Their Songs'', by J. B. T. Marsh (page 230). By 1917, when

Harry Burleigh Henry Thacker ("Harry") Burleigh (December 2, 1866 – September 12, 1949) was an American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer known for his baritone voice. The first black composer who was instrumental in developing cha ...

completed the last of his several influential arrangements, the song had become very popular in recitals. It has been called "perhaps the best known and best-loved spiritual".

Lyrics

Deep river, my home is over Jordan.
Deep river, Lord, I want to cross over into campground. Oh, don't you want to go to that Gospel-feast?
That Promised Land, where all is peace?

Adaptations

The melody was adopted in 1921 for the song ''

Dear Old Southland "Dear Old Southland" is a 1921 jazz standard. It was composed by Turner Layton, with lyrics by Henry Creamer. It uses basically the same melody as the song '' Deep River''. Popular recordings in 1922 were by Paul Whiteman and by Vernon Dalhart. Oth ...

'' by

Henry Creamer Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was an African American popular song lyricist and theater producer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, ...

and

Turner Layton Turner Layton (July 2, 1894 – February 6, 1978), born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an African American songwriter, singer and pianist. He frequently worked with Henry Creamer. Life Born in Washington, D.C., United States, in 1894, he was the s ...

, which enjoyed popular success the next year in versions by

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

and by

Vernon Dalhart Marion Try Slaughter (April 6, 1883 – September 14, 1948), better known by his stage name Vernon Dalhart, was an American country music singer and songwriter. His recording of the classic ballad "Wreck of the Old 97" was the first country song ...

. "Deep River" has been sung in several films. The 1929 film ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' featured it mouthed by

Laura La Plante Laura La Plante (born Laura Laplante; November 1, 1904 – October 14, 1996) was an American film actress, whose more notable performances were in the silent era. Early life La Plante was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 1, 1904, the da ...

to the singing of Eva Olivetti.

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...

famously sang it accompanied by male chorus in the 1940 movie ''

The Proud Valley ''The Proud Valley'' is a 1940 Ealing Studios film starring Paul Robeson. Filmed in the South Wales coalfield, the principal Welsh coal mining area, the film is about a seaman who joins a mining community. It includes their passion for singing ...

''. And in the 1983 blockbuster hit ''

National Lampoon's Vacation ''National Lampoon's Vacation'', sometimes referred to as simply ''Vacation'', is a 1983 American road trip comedy film directed by Harold Ramis starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Christie Brink ...

'' it was sung by

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

. "Deep River" is also one of five spirituals written into the 1941 oratorio ''

A Child of Our Time ''A Child of Our Time'' is a secular oratorio by the British composer Michael Tippett (1905–1998), who also wrote the libretto. Composed between 1939 and 1941, it was first performed at the Adelphi Theatre, London, on 19 March 1944. The wo ...

'' by

Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten ...

Recordings

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United ...

recorded a version in November 1923 for the

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

label (catalog No. 19227). *Paul Robeson recorded the song on May 10, 1927 for the Montgomery Ward label (catalog No. 6054). *

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

recorded a version on February 17, 1941 for the

label (catalog No. 36396B). * Adelaide Hall and Kenneth Cantril recorded a version of "Deep River" for their boxed set of ''Spirituals'' released in 1949 on London Records. *

Deep River Boys The Deep River Boys were an American gospel music group active from the mid-1930s and into the 1980s. The group performed spirituals, gospel, and R&B. Members The original group consisted of Harry Douglass ( baritone), Vernon Gardner (first t ...

Featuring Harry Douglas with Pete Brown's Orchestra recorded the song in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

on August 23, 1956, and released it on the

78 rpm record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

AL 6039). *

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...

recorded a version for her 1957 album ''

At the Gate of Horn ''At the Gate of Horn'' is the second solo album by American folk singer Odetta, first released in October 1957. It was named for the Gate of Horn club in Chicago. Odetta is joined by bassist Bill Lee. Although the title suggests it is a live re ...

''. * Johnny Mathis's third album, ''

Good Night, Dear Lord ''Good Night, Dear Lord'' is the fourth album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released by Columbia Records on March 3, 1958, and is the first of many projects undertaken over the course of his career that have a specific focus, whi ...

'', released 1958, USA. *The

Roger Wagner Chorale The Roger Wagner Chorale is an American choir founded by choral musician and educator Roger Wagner in 1946. History In 1937, Roger Wagner joined the MGM chorus in Hollywood and was subsequently appointed Music Director of St. Joseph's Chur ...

recorded

Roger Wagner Roger Wagner, KCSG (January 16, 1914 – September 17, 1992) was an American choral musician, administrator and educator. He founded the Roger Wagner Chorale, which became one of America's premier vocal ensembles. Early life Wagner was born in L ...

's arrangement, first released on the album ''The Negro Spiritual'' for Capitol Records (SP 8600) in 1964. *

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to ...

recorded a version for her 1964 album, ''Let's Pray Together'' on the Columbia Records label. *

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

27th studio album, '' Higher Ground'', recorded (USA) November 11, 1997, on the Columbia Records label. *Sacred Music Services recorded a version for their album ''Get On Board'' in 2000. *The

Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

recorded a version for the album '' Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing'' in 2009. *

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing gui ...

recorded a version for his 2012 album ''

The Bravest Man in the Universe ''The Bravest Man in the Universe'' is the twenty-seventh and final studio album by the American soul artist Bobby Womack. Released on June 12, 2012, it was his first studio album since 2000 and his first album of original material since 1994's '' ...

''. *The

Wings Over Jordan Choir The Wings Over Jordan Choir was an African-American a cappella spiritual choir founded and based in Cleveland, Ohio. The choir is also known for a weekly religious radio series, ''Wings Over Jordan'', which was created to showcase the group. ...

recorded the song in June 1946 for Queen Records (catalog No, 4140). *

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (March 1, 1954 – July 3, 2006) was an American mezzo-soprano. She was noted for her performances of both Baroque era and contemporary works. Her career path to becoming a singer was unconventional – formerly a pr ...

's rendition was captured on the album ''Lorraine Hunt Lieberson at Ravinia''. The song was a frequent

encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

in recital concerts by the

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

tic mezzo-soprano. *The band of the

British South Africa Police The British South Africa Police (BSAP) was, for most of its existence, the police force of Rhodesia (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980). It was formed as a paramilitary force of mounted infantrymen in 1889 by Cecil Rhodes' British South Africa Company, fro ...

recorded a version for the album ''Kum A Kye'', released in Rhodesia. * The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, Fifth Avenue, New York City recorded a version composed by Gerre Hancock for its album "American Voices." *Sister

Thea Bowman Thea Bowman, FSPA (born Bertha Elizabeth Bowman; December 29, 1937 – March 30, 1990) was a Black Catholic religious sister, teacher, musician, liturgist and scholar who made major contributions to the ministry of the Catholic Church toward A ...

, FSPA recorded the song in 1988 for the stereocassette, "Songs of My People." It was re-released in 2020 for the 30th anniversary of Sister Bowman's death as part of the digital album,
Songs of My People: The Complete Collection
'. *The song was performed at the funeral of

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; ; March 15, 1933September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by Presiden ...

by opera singer

Denyce Graves Denyce Graves (born March 7, 1964) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. Early life Graves was born on March 7, 1964, in Washington, D.C., to Charles Graves and Dorothy (Middleton) Graves-Kenner. She is the middle of three children and ...

. * Beverly Glenn-Copeland included a live recording of the song on his 2020 album Transmissions. *Composer Martin D. Fowler arranged a rendition of the song for the soundtrack of the audio fiction podcast '' Limetown''.

References

External links

Marian Anderson singing "Deep River"
YouTube video.
The Wings Over Jordan Choir Singing "Deep River"
– YouTube Video {{Authority control African-American spiritual songs Barbra Streisand songs Songs about rivers