"I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" is a

country and Western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

song written and first recorded in 1935 by Ruby Blevins, who performed as

Patsy Montana Rubye Rose Blevins (October 30, 1908 – May 3, 1996), known professionally as Patsy Montana, was an American country music singer, songwriter and actress. Montana was the first female country performer to have a million-selling single with her ...

. It was the first country song by a female artist to sell more than one million copies.

Background and release

Montana wrote the song in 1934 when she was feeling lonely and missing her boyfriend; it was recorded a year later when producer

Art Satherley Arthur Edward Satherley (October 19, 1889 – February 10, 1986) was an American record producer and A&R man. Often called Uncle Art Satherley, he made major contributions to the recording industry and has been described as "one of the most impo ...

, of

ARC Records American Record Corporation (ARC), also referred to as American Record Company, American Recording Corporation, or ARC Records, was an American record company. Overview ARC was created in January 1929 by Louis G. Sylvester, president of Scran ...

, needed one more song at a

Prairie Ramblers Floyd Holmes (March 6, 1910 – January 1, 1970), better known as Salty Holmes, was an American country musician and Western B-movie actor. Holmes was born in Glasgow, Kentucky. He became a virtuoso on the harmonica, specializing in the style k ...

recording session. Montana was the group's soloist at the time. Her song is based on Stuart Hamblen's western song ''Texas Plains'': he is therefore credited as a cowriter. Patsy Montana embellished the simpler musical pattern of the original, especially with her yodeling. Patsy also used a lot of the original words: the song is somewhat of a feminine answer to its precursor.

Reception

Members of the

Western Writers of America Western Writers of America (WWA), founded 1953, promotes literature, both fictional and nonfictional, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional Western fiction, the more than 600 current members also include historian ...

chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. In 2012 her record was added to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

list of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" American sound recordings.

Cover versions

"I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" has been recorded by, among others, * Rosalie Allen, in a 1940s yodeling version, *

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

(as a single) *

Suzy Bogguss Susan Kay Bogguss (born December 30, 1956) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She began her career in the 1980s as a solo singer. In the 1990s, six of her songs were Top 10 hits, three albums were certified gold, and one album re ...

(on her 1989 album '' Somewhere Between''). Her version peaked at #77 on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart. *

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...

(on their 1990 debut album ''

Thank Heavens for Dale Evans ''Thank Heavens for Dale Evans'' is the debut studio album by American country music band the Dixie Chicks. The group's original membership of Robin Lynn Macy, Laura Lynch, Martie Erwin, and Emily Erwin (whose names were changed to Martie M ...

'') *

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...

(on her 1992 album '' Cowboy's Sweetheart'') *

Nickel Creek Nickel Creek (formerly known as the Nickel Creek Band) is an American bluegrass band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). Formed in 1989 in Southern California, they released six alb ...

on their 1993 album ''

Little Cowpoke Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

'' *

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...

(on her 1994 album ''

All That ''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins P ...

'') * Clelia Adams on her 2004 album '' Heartbeat Highway'' * Leslie Avril on her 1994 album '' Champagne and Desolation'' * Bev McShanag and Olive Bice on their 1985 cassette '' Yodelling in Harmony'' * The Cartwheels (The Australian band) on their 2001 ep '' The Cartwheels'' *

Ha*Ash Ha*Ash is an American Latin pop duo from Lake Charles, Louisiana. The band was formed in 2002 by sisters Hanna Nicole (born 1985) and Ashley Grace (born 1987). The group's name is an portmanteau of letters from their first names. They have rele ...

(American band) made a Spanish yodeling version of the song called "Vaquera" on her 2005 album '' Mundos Opuestos''. *

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

(performed in 1996 and released in 2007 on ''

Vegas 96 ''Vegas 96'' is a triple live album from the American jam band Phish, recorded live at the Aladdin Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 6, 1996. In addition to the 3-CD set, a limited edition box version also includes a DVD with archival f ...

'') *

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

featuring yodeling Jewel (on her 2016 album ''

Detour __NOTOC__ A detour or (British English: diversion) is a (normally temporary) route taking traffic around an area of prohibited or reduced access, such as a construction site. Standard operating procedure for many roads departments is to route an ...

'').

References

{{authority control Songs about cowboys and cowgirls Western music (North America) Patsy Montana songs 1935 songs United States National Recording Registry recordings The Chicks songs LeAnn Rimes songs Patti Page songs Suzy Bogguss songs