"Dear Old Southland" is a 1921

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...

. It was composed by

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 ...

, with lyrics 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, ...

. It uses basically the same melody as the song '' Deep River''. Popular recordings in 1922 were 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, ...

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 ...

Other recordings

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

recorded the song on April 5, 1930, for

Okeh Records Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

(catalog No. 41454). Armstrong recorded the song again in 1956 for the album ''Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography''. *

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

and His Orchestra – December 4, 1933 for

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

(catalog No. 24501). *

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

and His Orchestra – June 25, 1935 for Victor Records (catalog No. 25136). *

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

– September 26, 1939 for Victor Records (catalog No. 26741). *

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic temp ...

's Blue Note Quartet – March 27, 1940 for the

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

label (catalog No. 13). *

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album '' Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the them ...

released a version on his 1963 album, '' Our Man in New Orleans''. *

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

released his own arrangement of Dear Old Southland (credited under

Raymond Bloch Raymond Arthur Bloch (August 3, 1902 – March 29, 1982) Career During the 1920s, he performed with small groups on piano and also conducted ballroom bands. Later in the decade he began appearing as a pianist on radio stations. He began working as ...

), as a duet between a dominant piano part and a lamenting trumpet part (played by Nickholas Payton), on his jazz album of 2009 ''

The Bright Mississippi ''The Bright Mississippi'' is an album by the New Orleans Jazz and R&B pianist Allen Toussaint, released on Nonesuch Records in 2009. The album reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. Background The album was produced by Joe Henry ...

."The duets with the horn players are utterly irresistible. On “Dear Old Southland”, Nick Payton gets the call, starting as a balladeer of lament, then developing a more-hopeful tone as Toussaint comes to life beneath him. The leader’s accompaniment sounds sculpted the way a hit record often is — with the dynamics, variety and specificity all carefully mapped. When Toussaint plays his solo, unaccompanied, the logic and composition inherent in his improvisation reminds us of how meandering the solos on “regular” jazz records sometimes become"
A review of the album by Will Layman
as published on April 29, 2009 in

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

(retrieved September 2, 2021)

Lyrics

Below are the lyrics of the 1921 version, which is out of copyright. Chorus :Dear old Southland, :I hear you calling me. :And I long how I long to roam, :Back to my old Kentucky home. Verse 1 :Dear old Southland, :For you my heart is yearning, :And I long just to see once more, :The land I love the Swanee shore. Verse 2 :I want to stray the town I was born, my home town, my little home town. :I want to play in the cotton and corn, to feel it, I used to steal it. :I want to hear dear old mother each morn. :Saying 'go long', 'go long', 'go long, 'go long to school :I want to be where the levee is near the water, I love the water. :I want to see Mammy Jinny so dear, I love her, Because I oughta. :I want to hear pick a ninnies in tune, :Singing 'go long', 'go long', 'go long', 'go long yo' mule!

References

1921 songs 1920s jazz standards Songs with lyrics by Henry Creamer Songs written by Turner Layton {{1920s-jazz-composition-stub

Other recordings

Lyrics

See also

References