"Oklahoma Hills" is a song written by
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...
. In 2001 it was named the official Folk Song of the state of Oklahoma.
Chorus
:''Way down yonder in the Indian nation''
:''I rode my pony on the reservation''
:''In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born''
:''Way down yonder in the Indian nation''
:''A cowboy’s life is my occupation''
:''In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born''
Jack Guthrie Recording
Jack Guthrie, Woody's cousin, changed the lyrics and music slightly and in 1945 recorded a
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which attracted huge crowds to dance ...
version, which reached Number 1 on the Juke Box Folk Records charts. It remains the best-known version of "Oklahoma Hills", and was the biggest hit of Jack Guthrie's fairly short life. Though Woody originated the song, the official Woody Guthrie website credits both him and Jack as its writers, perhaps because Jack's changes have become so well known.
Recordings
Recordings of "Oklahoma Hills" have been made by these singers, among others:
*
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 ...
*
Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatu ...
*
Gene Autry
*
Moe Bandy
Marion Franklin "Moe" Bandy Jr. (born February 12, 1944) is an American country music singer. He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and with his singing partner, Joe Stampley.
Early life and recordin ...
*
Johnny Bond
Cyrus Whitfield Bond (June 1, 1915 – June 12, 1978), known professionally as Johnny Bond, was an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and composer and publisher, who co-founded a music publishing firm, he was active in the musi ...
*
Tommy Collins
*The Dinning Sisters
*
Charlie Feathers
*
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gu ...
, Woody's son,recorded the song for his album ''
Running Down the Road'', released in 1969 by
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
.
*
Jimmy Lafave
Jimmy LaFave (July 12, 1955 – May 21, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. After moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, LaFave became a supporter of Woody Guthrie. He later became an Advisory Board member and regular performer ...
*
Mary McCaslin
Mary McCaslin (December 22, 1946 – October 2, 2022) was an American folk singer who wrote, recorded, and performed contemporary folk music.
Early life
McCaslin was born in Indianapolis on December 22, 1946, and was raised in Southern Californ ...
*
Country Joe McDonald
* John Mellencamp
*Michael J. Miles
*
Michael Parks
Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks; April 24, 1940 – May 9, 2017) was an American singer and actor. He appeared in many films and made frequent television appearances, notably starring in the 1969–1970 series '' Then Came Bronson'', but ...
*
Marvin Rainwater
Marvin Karlton Rainwater (July 2, 1925 – September 17, 2013) was an American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter who had several hits during the late 1950s, including " Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" and " Whole Lotta Woman," which hit #1 o ...
*
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 ...
*The Reno Brothers
*
Carl Smith
*
Bruce Springsteen
*
Kay Starr
*
James Talley
*Country singer
Hank Thompson, joined by His Brazos Valley Boys, recorded a well-known version of "Oklahoma Hills" in 1961. Thompson's Western swing rendition reached No. 10 on the
Billboard magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...
Hot C&W Singles chart.
*
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, " Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...
*
T. Texas Tyler
*
Ian Tyson
Ian Dawson Tyson (September 25, 1933 – December 29, 2022) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote several folk songs, including " Four Strong Winds" and " Someday Soon", and performed with partner Sylvia Tyson as the duo Ian & Sylvia.
Ea ...
*
Jimmy Wakely
Jimmy Wakely (February 16, 1914 – September 23, 1982) was an American actor, songwriter, country music vocalist, and one of the last singing cowboys. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, he released records, appeared in several B-Western movies ...
*
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
*
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliot Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer and songwriter.
Life and career
Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adnopoz, a ...
Accolades
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 histori ...
chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
In 2001, the Oklahoma Legislature declared it to be the official state folk song.
References
External links
*Lyrics a
woodyguthrie.org.Oklahoma Session Laws—Section 47 - Oklahoma State Folk Song; declaring "Oklahoma Hills" as the Oklahoma State Folk Song.
1945 songs
Woody Guthrie songs
Hank Thompson (musician) songs
Western swing songs
United States state songs
Symbols of Oklahoma
Songs written by Woody Guthrie
Music of Oklahoma
Anthems of non-sovereign states
Songs about Oklahoma
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