"That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" was

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

's first hit record in 1932, written and performed with fellow railroadman Jimmy Long. Thanks to his new career as a

singing cowboy A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films. It references real-world campfire side ballads in the American frontier, the original cowboys sang of life on the trail with all the challenges, hardships, and d ...

in 1935, it became one his biggest.

Writing and recording

Jimmy Long was Gene Autry's brother-in-law and business manager, and it appears that he wrote most, if not all, of "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine". On December 2, 1930, he recorded an almost-finished version with Cliff Keiser, at Gennett Studios, Richmond, Indiana, released as

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

16190 He filed a copyright on March 6, 1931, and it passed to his children when he died. On October 29, 1931, Long and Autry shared lead vocals, recording their version at

ARC Studios ARC may refer to: Business * Aircraft Radio Corporation, a major avionics manufacturer from the 1920s to the '50s * Airlines Reporting Corporation, an airline-owned company that provides ticket distribution, reporting, and settlement services * ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The record was released on several labels in January 1932, with the pair sharing performing and writing credits. It was also published by M. M. Cole Publishing Co., with both listed as songwriters.

Success

The record was a hit, but it wasn't until 1935, when Autry performed the song in two movies (the science-fiction/western 12-part serial ''

The Phantom Empire ''The Phantom Empire'' is a 1935 American Western serial film directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason and starring Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, and Betsy King Ross.Magers 2007, p. 21. This 12-chapter Mascot Pictures serial combined the Wes ...

'' in February and ''

Tumbling Tumbleweeds "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" is a song composed by Bob Nolan. Although one of the most famous songs associated with the Sons of the Pioneers, the song was composed by Nolan in the 1930s, while working as a caddy and living in Los Angeles. Originally ti ...

'' in September), that sales of a

Vocalion Vocalion Records is an American record company and label. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...

re-release really took off, selling a reported five million copies. This number may not be totally accurate, but the record was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in 1958.

Lyrics

The lyrics are addressed to the elderly father of the narrator, who wishes to repay his father for all the effort expended in raising him. This could be Jimmy Long reaching out to his own father, since all the words were written before Gene got involved.

Other recordings

According to the database of secondhandsongs.com, "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" has been covered over 50 times. It was covered by the

Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

on their 1958 album ''

Songs Our Daddy Taught Us ''Songs Our Daddy Taught Us'' (1958) is the second studio album by American singing duo the Everly Brothers. The album is based on a selection of songs that the brothers learned as boys from their father, Ike Everly. Originally released on Cadence ...

'' and by

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

on their albums '' Old Friends'' and ''

Live 1969 ''Live 1969'' is the fourth live album by Simon & Garfunkel, released through Columbia Records. It consists of live recordings captured on the duo's final North American tour, prior to the release of their ''Bridge over Troubled Water'' album. Fi ...

''.

Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for t ...

also did a cover of the song, in tribute to the Everly Brothers, as a track on a 2013 album called ''

Foreverly ''Foreverly'' (stylized as ''foreverly'') is a collaborative album by Green Day singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and jazz/pop singer-songwriter Norah Jones. It was released on November 25, 2013, through Reprise Records. ''Foreverly'' is a c ...

''.

In popular culture

On the children's show ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

'',

Herry Monster The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson, many for the purpose of appearing on the children's television program ''Sesame Street''. Some of the best known Muppets on ''Sesame Street'' include Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch ...

sings a song called "Furry Blue Mommy of Mine", which shows just how much he appreciates and loves his mother. This song is a parody of "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine".Herry sings Furry Blue Mommy of Mine
/ref>

References

External links

* * {{authority control, state=expanded Western music (North America) 1930 songs 1932 singles 1935 singles Songs about old age Gene Autry songs Songs written by Gene Autry