"Distant Drums" is a song which provided US singer

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

with his only UK No. 1 hit – albeit posthumously – in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1966, some two years after his death in a plane crash on 31 July 1964. The song remained in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for 25 weeks. The single also topped the US country chart for four weeks, becoming his most successful posthumous single.

Legacy

Although

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

had recorded the song in 1963, it is Reeves' version of "Distant Drums" which has endured over the years. During its time at the top of the UK chart, the song beat off stiff competition from several major (and living) artists of the day. These included

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

- who had entered the UK chart around the same time with their

double A-sided The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

release "

Eleanor Rigby "Eleanor Rigby" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. It was also issued on a double A-side single, paired with " Yellow Submarine". The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to L ...

"/" Yellow Submarine" - and the

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The band w ...

, who had also charted in the UK with " All or Nothing". It was an unexpected achievement for a song that Reeves had recorded for its composer,

Cindy Walker Cindy Walker (July 20, 1918 – March 23, 2006) was an American songwriter, as well as a country music singer and dancer. She wrote many popular and enduring songs recorded by many artists. She adopted a craftsman-like approach to her songwr ...

, under the impression it was for her private use only and had earlier been dismissed by both the

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

record company and

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

(a noted guitarist and record producer who worked with Reeves) as unsuitable for wider public release. Following Reeves' death, the track was overdubbed with an orchestral backing and released to the public as the version that later climbed up the music charts in both the United States and the UK. "Distant Drums" first entered the UK Singles Chart during the summer of 1966, before reaching the No. 1 position on 22 September, where it remained for five weeks. It was named the UK's "song of the year" and Reeves became the first overseas performer to receive this special award. "Distant Drums" remained at No. 1 on the

for a total of five weeks. Only Tom Jones with his recording of "

Green, Green Grass of Home "Green, Green Grass of Home", written by Claude "Curly" Putman Jr., and first recorded by singer Johnny Darrell in 1965, is a country song made popular by Porter Wagoner the same year, when it reached No. 4 on the Country chart. It was also r ...

" had a longer tenure as the UK's top hit single record of 1966, with seven weeks at No. 1, although three of those weeks were in early 1967.

Chart performance

Roy Orbison

Jim Reeves

Vic Dana

References

External links

UK Official Chart website
{{authority control Songs about drums 1963 songs 1966 singles Roy Orbison songs Jim Reeves songs Monument Records singles Song recordings produced by Fred Foster Songs released posthumously UK Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Cindy Walker Song recordings produced by Chet Atkins RCA Records singles