"Gotta Travel On" is an American

folksong Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. The earliest known version was printed in

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

's The American Songbag in 1927 under the title "Yonder Comes the High Sheriff" and several variations were recorded in the 1920s, but the best known version is credited to Paul Clayton,

The Weavers The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fr ...

, Larry Ehrlich, and Dave Lazer and was first recorded by

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

in 1958. A cover by

Billy Grammer Billy Wayne Grammer (August 28, 1925 – August 10, 2011) was an American country music singer and accomplished guitar player. He recorded the million-selling " Gotta Travel On", which made it onto both the country and pop music charts in 1959. ...

reached #4 on the U.S. pop chart, #5 on the U.S. country chart, #6 in Australia, and #14 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1959. The recording ranked #53 on ''Billboard'' magazine's Top 100 singles of 1959.

Other charting versions

* Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys released a version of the song as a single in 1959 which reached #15 on the U.S. country chart. *

The Springfields The Springfields were a British folk-pop vocal trio who had success in the early 1960s in the UK, US and Ireland. They included singer Dusty Springfield and her brother, songwriter Tom Springfield, along with Tim Feild, who was later repla ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1962 which reached #114 on the U.S. pop chart. *

Timi Yuro Rosemary Victoria Yuro (August 4, 1940 – March 30, 2004), known professionally as Timi Yuro, was an American singer-songwriter. Sometimes called "the little girl with the big voice," she is considered to be one of the first blue-eyed soul sty ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1963 which reached #64 on both the U.S. pop and R&B charts. * Damita Jo released a version of the song as a single in 1965 which reached #119 on the U.S. pop chart.

Other versions

* Ollis Martin (as "Police and High Sheriff Come Ridin' Down") (Gennett 6306, 1928; rec. 1927; on StuffDreams1) * Poplin Family, (as "Goin' Back to Sumter") on Poplin01 *

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

released a version of the song on his 1958 EP ''Belafonte''. *

Joe Gordon Joseph Lowell Gordon (February 18, 1915 – April 14, 1978), nicknamed "Flash" in reference to the comic-book character ''Flash Gordon'', was an American second baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yank ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1959, but it did not chart. * Rose And Cal Maddox featuring The Jack Wayne Band released a version of the song as a single in 1959, but it did not chart. *

Chris Barber's Jazz Band Donald Christopher "Chris" Barber OBE (17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and trombonist. He helped many musicians with their careers and had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with " Petite Fl ...

recorded this on their 1959 LP "Barber in Berlin" recorded 23 May 1959 *

released a version of the song on their 1959 EP ''Travelling with The Weavers Volume 1''. *

Cisco Houston Gilbert Vandine "Cisco" Houston (August 18, 1918 – April 29, 1961) was an American folk singer and songwriter, who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of recording together. Houston was a regular recording ...

released a version of the song on his 1960 album ''

Cisco Houston Sings Songs of the Open Road ''Cisco Houston Sings Songs of the Open Road'' is a studio album by American folk singer Cisco Houston Gilbert Vandine "Cisco" Houston (August 18, 1918 – April 29, 1961) was an American folk singer and songwriter, who is closely associated ...

''. *

Bert Berns Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include " Twist and Shout", " Piec ...

released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1960 single "The Legend of the Alamo". *

The Limeliters The Limeliters are an American folk music group, formed in July 1959 by Lou Gottlieb (bass violin/bass), Alex Hassilev (banjo/baritone), and Glenn Yarbrough (guitar/tenor). The group was active from 1959 until 1965, and then after a hiatus of s ...

included the song on their 1962 album ''Sing Out.'' * Bobby Bare released a version of the song on his 1963 EP ''Meet Bobby Bare''. *

Trini Lopez Trinidad López III (May 15, 1937 – August 11, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and actor. His first album included a cover version of Pete Seeger's " If I Had a Hammer", which earned a Golden Disc for him. His other hits include ...

released a version of the song on his 1963 album ''

Trini Lopez at PJ's ''Trini Lopez at PJ's'' is the debut, live album by singer and guitarist Trini Lopez, released in 1963 on Reprise Records. Many of the tracks are folk music songs. The record was a result of Don Costa hearing him perform at PJ's nightclub, and ...

'' as part of a medley with "

Down by the Riverside "Down by the Riverside" (also known as "Ain't Gonna Study War No More" and "Gonna lay down my burden") is an African-American spiritual. Its roots date back to before the American Civil War, though it was first published in 1918 in ''Plantation ...

", "

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed in ...

", "

When the Saints Go Marching In "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn and is often played by jazz bands. This song was famously recorded on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstron ...

", and " Volare". *

Towa Carson Birgit Rose-Marie Anlert (née Carlsson, born 31 March 1936), known professionally as Towa Carson, is a Swedish schlager singer. She debuted in 1954 and had the most success in the 1950s and 1960s, with hits such as ''"De tre klockorna"'' (S ...

released a version of the song entitled "Jag måste ge mej av”, Swedish lyrics by Peter Himmelstrand, as the B-side to her 1964 single "Hjärta". *

Milly Scott Marion Henriëtte Louise Molly (born 29 December 1933), known professionally as Milly Scott, is a Dutch singer and actress of Surinamese origin, best known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966. She is recognised as the fir ...

released a version of the song entitled "Ik moet verder" as the B-side to her 1964 single " Kom Huil Dan". *

Carola Carola is a female given name, the Latinized form of the Germanic given names Caroline or Carol. People named Carola include: Acting * Carola Braunbock (1924–1978), Czech-born East German actress *Carola Höhn (1910–2005), German actres ...

released a version of the song entitled "Nyt nostan kytkimen" as a single in 1964, but it did not chart. *

Pete Fountain Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr. (July 3, 1930 – August 6, 2016), known professionally as Pete Fountain, was an American jazz clarinetist. Early life and education LaFontaine was born to Pierre, Sr. and Madeline, in a small Creole cottage-style f ...

released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1965 single " Mae". *

Boots Randolph Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit "Yakety Sax" (which became Benny Hill's signature tune). Randolph was a major part of the "Nashville sound" for most o ...

released a version of the song on his 1965 EP ''More Yakety Sax''. * Ray Bryant Trio released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1966 single "

It Was a Very Good Year "It Was a Very Good Year" is a song composed by Ervin Drake in 1961 and originally recorded by Bob Shane with the Kingston Trio. It was made famous by Frank Sinatra's version in D minor, which won the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance ...

". *

Larry Ramos Hilario D. "Larry" Ramos Jr. (April 19, 1942 – April 30, 2014) was a guitarist, banjo player, and vocalist with the 1960s American pop band the Association. In 1963, he won a Grammy with The New Christy Minstrels. Early years Ramos was of F ...

released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1966 single "It'll Take a Little Time". * Allen Toussaint released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1968 single "Get Out of My Life, Woman". * Jerry Naylor released a version of the song as the B-side to his 1969 single "Posters on the Wall". *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

released a version of the song on his 1970 album ''

Self Portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

.'' * Johnny Kidd & The Pirates released a version of the song on the 1965 single Shakin'All Over / Gotta Travel On. *

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

released a version of the song on his 1969 live album, '' Glen Campbell Live.'' *The Seekers also recorded the song. * Anita Bryant. *

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

does a version of the song on his 2012 album ''

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotta Travel On 1927 songs 1958 singles 1959 singles 1962 singles 1963 singles 1964 singles 1965 singles Songs written by Pete Seeger Billy Grammer songs Bill Monroe songs The Springfields songs Harry Belafonte songs Rose Maddox songs The Weavers songs Bobby Bare songs Trini Lopez songs Towa Carson songs RCA Victor singles Monument Records singles Decca Records singles Philips Records singles Liberty Records singles Epic Records singles