"The Sons of Katie Elder" is the theme song for the 1965 Paramount western of the same name starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

. It was written by Ernie Sheldon (words) and

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

(music). The song, as recorded by

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, wasn't used in the actual film, but appeared on its soundtrack LP. Released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

(Columbia 4-43342, with "A Certain Kinda Hurtin'" on the opposite side),

in July 1965, the song became a U.S. country top-10 hit.

Background

According to the book ''Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black'', the song used "virtually the same music and arrangement" as a song titled " Thunderball" that Johnny Cash had recorded as a potential title song for the James Bond movie of the same name during the sessions for the double album ''

Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West ''Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West'' is a concept double album and the 22nd overall album released by country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1965 (see 1965 in music). Covering twenty individual songs, the album ...

''. Cash's version of the song was rejected in favor of

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer * Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...

' one, and The book ''The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash'' tells a slightly different story:

Track listing

Charts

Personnel

Cash recorded the song on June 11, 1965, at the Columbia Studio in Nashville, Tessessee. * Johnny Cash – vocals, guitar * The Statler Brothers: Lew DeWitt, Don Reid, Harold Reid, Phil Balsley; The Carter Family: Maybelle, Anita, Helen, June – vocal harmonies * Luther Perkins – electric guitar * Marshall Grant – bass guitar * W.S. 'Fluke' Holland – drums * Unknown – French horns * Unknown – timpani * Bill McElhiney – Arranger & Conductor * Don Law and Frank Jones – Producers

References

External links

"The Sons of Katie Elder"
on the Johnny Cash official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sons Of Katie Elder, The Johnny Cash songs 1965 singles Columbia Records singles 1965 songs Songs with music by Elmer Bernstein Songs about fictional male characters Songs about cowboys and cowgirls American country music songs Song recordings produced by Don Law