"Walk on By" is a song written by Kendall Hayes and performed by American country music artist
Leroy Van Dyke
Leroy Frank Van Dyke (born October 4, 1929) is an American country music and honky-tonk singer and guitarist, best known for his hits "The Auctioneer" (1956) and "Walk On By (Leroy Van Dyke song), Walk on By" (1961).
Biography
Van Dyke was bor ...
. It was released in June 1961 as the first single and title track from the album ''Walk On By''. The song was Van Dyke's most successful single, spending 37 weeks on the country chart and a record-breaking 19 at the number-one position. "Walk on By" crossed over to the pop chart peaking at number five, and was named by
''Billboard'' magazine, in its 100th anniversary issue (1994), as the biggest country music record in history.
The 19-week run of "Walk On By" is a record that stood for 51 years until "
Cruise
A cruise is any travel on a cruise ship.
Cruise or Cruises may also refer to:
Tourism
* Booze cruise
* Music cruise
* River cruise
Aeronautics and aircraft
* Cruise (aeronautics), a distinct stage of an aircraft's flight
* Aviasouz Cruise, a R ...
" by
Florida Georgia Line
Florida Georgia Line is an American country music duo founded in 2010 by Tyler Hubbard of Georgia and Brian Kelley of Florida, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. Their 2012 debut single " Cruise" broke two major sales records: it was ...
reached its 19th week at No. 1 on July 20, 2013; the following week, "Cruise" surpassed the standard when it recorded its 20th week at No. 1. Until Florida Georgia Line surpassed it in total weeks at No. 1, "Walk On By" held the record for most weeks at No. 1 since the introduction of the all-encompassing Hot Country Songs (then called Hot C&W Sides) chart in October 1958; the all-time record for most weeks at No. 1 (50 weeks) is the 2017 release "
Meant to Be" by
Bebe Rexha
Bleta Rexha (; born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Bebe Rexha ( ), is an American pop singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single " The Monster" (which later ...
featuring Florida Georgia Line.
Synopsis
A two-timing man has begun a new relationship but never fully cut off the previous one. While the new girlfriend is aware of his old flame, the old one does not know about it, and he intends to keep it that way by not acknowledging his new girlfriend in public. He advises the new girlfriend to treat him as a stranger—“just walk on by, wait on the corner—” and that he will continue meeting with her in dim cafes on the other side of town
Musicians
*
Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland – guitar
*
Hargus "Pig" Robbins
Hargus Melvin Robbins (January 18, 1938 – January 30, 2022), known by his nickname "Pig," was an American session keyboard player. Having played on records for many artists, including John Stewart, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Patti Page, Lore ...
– piano
*
Buddy Killen
William Doyce “Buddy” Killen (November 13, 1932 – November 1, 2006) was an American record producer and music publisher, and a former owner of Trinity Broadcasting Network and Tree International Publishing, the largest country music p ...
– bass
*
Jerry Kennedy
Jerry Glenn Kennedy (born 10 August 1940)Cusic, Don. (1998) "Jerry Kennedy". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 277–278. is an American record producer, songwriter and guitar pla ...
,
Harold Bradley
Harold Ray Bradley (January 2, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American guitarist and entrepreneur, who played on many country, rock and pop recordings and produced numerous TV variety shows and movie soundtracks. Having started as a session ...
and Kelso Herston – guitars
*
Willie Ackerman
Willie Ackerman (May 1, 1939 – December 13, 2012) was a professional American drummer whose career began in 1957 and ended in the 2000s. He performed with Johnny Cash, Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, The Monkees, Keith ...
– drums
*
Margie Singleton
Margaret Louise Ebey (born October 12, 1935), known professionally as Margie Singleton, is an American country music singer and songwriter. In the 1960s, she was a popular duet and solo recording artist, working with country stars George Jones ...
– background vocals
Production
* Shelby Singleton - producer
[
* Mort Thomasson – recording engineer][
]
Cover versions
*Donna Fargo
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
*Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...
covered the song in 1980. Fargo's version peaked at 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart. A 1988 cover by Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...
made number 55 on the same chart.
*In 1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
Kikki Danielsson
Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson (born 10 May 1952) is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She has gained notice for yodeling in some songs. Danielsson gained he ...
recorded the song on her '' Singles Bar'' album.
* Martina McBride
Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material.
McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocat ...
covered this song on her 2005 album '' Timeless''.
* Conway Twitty
Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
, 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 ...
, Hank Williams Jr
Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
, Kay Starr
Katherine Laverne Starks (July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016), known professionally as Kay Starr, was an American singer who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1940s and 1950s. She was of Iroquois and Irish heritage. Starr performed multip ...
, Connie Francis
Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937),
known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...
, Robert Gordon Robert Gordon may refer to:
Entertainment
* Robert Gordon (actor) (1895–1971), silent-film actor
* Robert Gordon (director) (1913–1990), American director
* Robert Gordon (singer) (1947–2022), American rockabilly singer
* Robert Gordon (scr ...
, and Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...
have also recorded it.
* A Finnish language
Finnish ( endonym: or ) is a Uralic language of the Finnic branch, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish ...
cover version of this song has the title "Käy Ohitsein", and has been performed and recorded by several artists, including Laila Kinnunen
Laura “Laila” Annikki Kinnunen (8 November 1939, Vantaa – 26 October 2000, Heinävesi) was a Finnish singer. She was one of the most popular Finnish singers of the 1950s and 1960s, and represented Finland at the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest ...
. Another Finnish version, with slightly different lyrics, had the title "Kun Ohi Käyt", and was performed by Irmeli Mäkelä.
* The Swedish language
Swedish ( ) is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in Sweden and in parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, the fourth most spoken Germanic language and the first among any other of its type in the Nordic countr ...
cover version of this song has the title "Du kom för sent", and was recorded by Håkan Stahre.
* The Estonian language
Estonian ( ) is a Finnic language, written in the Latin script. It is the official language of Estonia and one of the official languages of the European Union, spoken natively by about 1.1 million people; 922,000 people in Estonia and 160,0 ...
cover version of this song has the title "Sa möödu vaid", with lyrics by Heldur Karmo and was recorded by Anu Anton, later by Uno Loop and Heidy Tamme
Heidy Tamme (also known as Heidi Tamme, Heidy Laanemäe; born on 5 April 1943) is an Estonian estrada, chamber and pop singer whose career began in the early 1960s.Estonian Encyclopedia. 2000. Volume 14, page 513
Tamme was born in Ulyanovsk, ...
. Song also recorded by Ivo Linna
Ivo Linna (born 12 June 1949 in Kuressaare) is an Estonian singer.
Eurovision Song Contest and Eesti Laul
He represented Estonia alongside Maarja Liis Ilus in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 in Oslo with the song " Kaelakee Hääl" (The Sound ...
with Rock Hotel. Also some other Estonian artists performed covers with the same title and words.
Chart performance
Leroy Van Dyke
Donna Fargo
Asleep at the Wheel
References
{{Authority control
1961 singles
Leroy Van Dyke songs
Donna Fargo songs
Asleep at the Wheel songs
Gene Summers songs
Kikki Danielsson songs
Mercury Records singles
1961 songs