YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE, BY GOV. JIMMIE DAVIS

[christinambarfield]

he used to come to our house when i was a kid and sing this i actually know every verse and he wrote the first verse for his horse sunshine which he used to bring in the capital. he always told the story,

[christinambarfield]

@christinambarfield this is christinas dad. when she was little i was taking her to see gov. davis and she said what does irony mean? and on the radio it said gov jimmy davis passed away at his home at the age of 100. i said baby that is irony. we had just talked to his wife ms ann a few days before and she had said we could come see them.. he was a great man. sunshine was the name of his horse.

[TheMaggiemcgrath22]

the pine ridge boys were the first

[Zarkoon]

This is such a lovely song. It's delightful to listen to Davis's hit version. It's wonderful in part because of the jauntiness with which he sings this very deeply sad song. The clarinet break, which is delightfully bouncy, helps buoy up what might otherwise be too much of a tearjerker of a song.

[mckinley5]

Another video on YouTube states that Oliver Hood wrote this song.

[TedMichaelMorgan]

Listen to the band--great recording. I used to see the Governor at the Piccadilly Cafeteria on Governemtn Street. He was always elegant.

[Upcamehill]

Was very popular here, especially during Jimmie Davis' runs for governor.

[Starsk25]

My mom used to sing this song to me when I was a kid.

[pneese2]

I took my Mother back in the late 80's to see Mr. Davis at a church in downtown Baton Rouge. He sang 'You are my Sunshine", a song that that my Mother loved and sang all of the time. We were able to go up and get in a line to meet him, Mother was thrilled and I was too!

paul-Destin, Fl. via B.R.

[w5avz]

Will NEVER FORGET OLD OLD JIMMY!!!!!! I sat this old man down in the Studio at KSLU-FM(Southeastern Louisiana University Public FM BKST Station..long ago....where I was Ch. Engineer......to sing this song without background music......had to help him up the 3 steps into the studio and seat him...which he much appreciated me doing so, and had a long talk with him prior to him singing this song over the air. And Wow ....the Wisdom! he offered! He told me to remember to spell woman ...Wo-to-Man!

[rhrouda42]

My mother you to sing this song when I was a child. It brings back many wonderful memories.

[Kannami04]

ありがとー

[MANEKENOoficiala]

I was trying to remember the words to this song at work. I asked all my coworkers. We all remembered "you are my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray" and "please don't take my sunshine away" but no one could remember the third line: "you'll never know dear how much I love you"

[Zarkoon]

@MANEKENOoficiala And, really, the lyrics to this song are very sad--but this version is so jaunty that no one really experiences it as sad.

[girlonaboat]

I actually looked into this and in 1990 a statement came out saying the actual writer of the song was Oliver Hood

[SuperTina65]

my boy friend sings this song to me when i cry i love Cody soo much <3 <3 <3 godkin-arms makes me smile and after high school where getting an apartment next year :) love him soo much <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

[JameSameRoo]

The best in my heart

..

[JameSameRoo]

The best in my heart

[tavish68]

Wonderful song, the first recording was done by The Pine Ridge Boys in August 1939. There version is more layered emotionally and you feel the sadness in the lyrics more so than most other version.

Wonderful song, the first recording was done by The Pine Ridge Boys in August 1939. There version is more layered emotionally and you feel the sadness in the lyrics more so than most other version.

youtube.com/watch?v=gX_uKoWFs8­8

[cleodux]

ermm Jimmy Davis bought the song rights not created it. There are 2 older version of this song before him.

[onstageagain]

I never tire of this song... My little 5 yr old granddaughter sings it with me. miss and love you jimmy

[clamdraggin]

So simple...Takes me back to a more innocent time.

[frugalnanny]

my Mothere was Betty Davis (No Relationship) and she died in 2000 also.

She love this song and her brother Jimmy davis was named for the Governor back in 1957. Small world to be so big.

Thanks for the memories.

[yobonita1388]

HAY QUE BONITA CANCION, YO LA ESCUCHE EN UNA FLORECITA QUE LE REGALARON A MI MAMA:D

[Mr851934]

Written by Jimmie Davis ( some say he bought it from a fellow by the name of Paul Rice for $35.00), Jimmie was a two term governor of Louisiana serving from 1944-48 & 1960-64 and the bridge over the Red River on hwy 511 that connects Shreveport to Bossier City is named after him.

In 1977 You are My Sunshine became the Louisiana state song, and is one of the most recognized songs ever written.

Jimmie died in2000 at the age of 101 and is buried in the Davis family Cemetery in Quitman. La.

[sreyikerin]

I love this song . at least it has a true love

[wakeupcitylights]

Aw. My daddy always used to sing this for me when I was a little girl and I couldnt fall asleep.

[Toosethemoose]

im barely related to this guy!!

[addienetterville16]

Thats my great grandfather. He wrote that song for my mom. Her middle name is sunshine.

[giltedged2]

This is an excellent version but Jimmie Davis didn't write it.

The song was bought for $35 by Jimmie Davis, (who made his own excellent version of it) from Paul Rice who claimed to compose it.

But it was composed by Oliver Hood a self-taught, charismatic yet humble man, one of life's gentlemen, who first sang it in oublic in La Grange, Georgia in 1933 at a VFW convention.

Hood's house was like the local centre for musicians who used to gather there or on the porch playing music

[giltedged2]

This is an excellent version but Jimmie Davis wasn't the composer.

The song was bought for $35 by Jimmie from Paul Rice who claimed to compose it.

But it was composed by Oliver Hood a self-taught, charismatic yet humble man, one of life's gentlemen, who first sang it in oublic in La Grange, Georgia in 1933 at a VFW convention.

Hood's house was like the local centre for musicians who used to gather there or on the porch playing music

[fate241]

I love this...very nice to listen to..classy

[MarsMartz]

Great song!

[SquidXD]

Didnt know it was so sad. mommy sang it to me when i was little, but on the happy parts.

[clamdraggin]

SONJIA LANELLE PARKER

You are my only Sunshine for more

than 36 years. If you should read this

...ROGER MOSS is looking. PLEASE

contact me.

[shub10]

My earliest memory is my aunt holding me and singing this song to me. She only sang the chorus though. I'm only 20 and this is one of my favorite songs.

[Sylar482]

Got into the song cuz of Krevlornswath of the Deathwok clan(Lorne). He sang it in the 5th season of Angel, well a line from this song and it was really catchy and now I realize this version is as well. R.I.P Andy Hallet!

[swsanders]

I think in cases like this that it's easy to think that some brilliant struggling songwriter wrote this song because it is such a popular song. But the case may be that in a moment of brilliance he wrote the song himself. Remember some of the most brilliiant works are sometimes the simplest just look at the songs of Hank Sr. Simple musical background and guitar, simple words and brilliant songs.

[Bossier11]

Hey BadBrian, who in you opinion wrote this song? Since you seem to think Jimmy Davis did not! I am sure his daughter will be very interested to know! She lives right down the street from me! I can tell her all about it!!

[TacoPresident]

wicn.or g/song-week/you-are-my-sunshin­e-1937

Sorry, what?

[kchuck27]

[Part 1] Two versions of "You Are My Sunshine" were recorded and released prior to Jimmie Davis's. The first was recorded for Bluebird Records on August 22, 1939 by The Pine Ridge Boys (Marvin Taylor and Doug Spivey), who were from Atlanta. The second was recorded for Decca Records on September 13, 1939 by The Rice Brothers Gang. This group was originally from north Georgia, but had relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, where they were performing on the city's KWKH radio station...

[kchuck27]

[2] The version by Jimmie Davis was recorded for Decca Records on February 5, 1940. Davis and Charles Mitchell are the credited songwriters of "You Are My Sunshine". Davis bought the song and rights from Paul Rice and put his own name on it, a practice not uncommon in the pre-World War II music business. Some early versions of the song, however, do credit the Rice Brothers. According to some accounts, clarinetist Pud Brown was also involved with the Rice Brothers for the song's first arrangement

[merbenzgill]

jimmy davis was a very good song composer he wrote this and many others that other talent still play his songs . be no bodydarling is one of his first and this you are my sunshine he also was a governor try that on

[florrytheboss]

"you make me happy when sky are grey....."

beautiful song.

[VA24541]

This is one of the most well known songs ever written. Everybody knows the chorus at least.

[jpcwa74]

@VA24541 Its the most stolen song too. Everyone from johnny cash to snoop dog has ripped off Jimmie Davis.

[TheBatura]

@jpcwa74 You know, the music is actually from an old Ukrainian folk song. So yeah, it's pretty darn stolen =)

[JustADoof]

guvnah, mayoress, first politiceaux, hope alan wins, seriously.

[badbrian1]

He claimed that he wrote the song while attending graduate school at LSU, but research indicates he bought it from another performer Paul Rice, who had recorded it with his brother Hoke, who recorded together as the Rice Brothers under Paul Rice's name. The practice of buying songs from their composers was a common practice during the 1930s through the 1960s. Some writers in need of cash often sold tunes to others.

[kool4ever]

beautiful song XD

[ChefCMurda]

I just found out Jimmie Davis is my Great Grand Cousin. My Great Grandpa and Jimmie did a record together called someone who cares.

[Bossier11]

Then you are kin to Ruth Davis Jackson, his daughter. He wrote this song for her when she was one year old in 1933. She is a really neat lady, has a lot of spunk. She said her dad was born in 1898 and lived to 2000 so he was 102!

What an awesome voice he was gifted with!

[badbrian1]

He didn't write this song, he bought it and put his name on it.

[Bossier11]

Jimmy Davis DID write this song!I think his own daughter would know!!!!What you "think" is irrelevant!

[badbrian1]

I'm not trying to be mean, it's a fact he did not write this song.

[shortdiva2004]

Sorry, but it was originally written by Paul Rice, who also recorded it in 1939 as the Rice Brothers Gang. Jimmie Davis bought the rights to the song and recorded his version a year later, and also used it in his election campaigns.

[Bossier11]

@shortdiva2004 Sorry but Jimmie Davis ever claimed to have written "You Are My Sunshine," but not so with Paul Rice; he claimed to have composed it in 1937.

There are still people alive, however, who remember hearing the song long before 1937 - in particular, a mid 1930's performance of the song by Riley Puckett himself - and what these people remember is the name of the musician with whom both Riley Puckett and Paul Rice played in the early 1930's: Oliver Hood of LaGrange, Georgia.

[Bossier11]

@shortdiva2004 Also how ever many original writers of this song is very irrelevant! Jimmy Davis is the one who made it famous and he did dedicate it to his daughter Ruth! There is always a burr in ever saddle, shortie is just another little "diva" with a attitude! Shortie-diva dingbat can kiss my 6' A**! Don't hate because you ain't!!

[clamdraggin]

@Bossier11

Does his daughter know if "..Sunshine"

was ever on the charts while he was sitting as Gov.? I know another song

made #1 while he was Gov...but what about this one?

[jtls8]

A true classic.

[abinoal]

i love this song truly.

[abinoal]

i love this song truly.

[songwriter1951]

A real Master singer and songwriter. Many think this was written about his sweetheart; but actually it was written about his young son. He had more class in his little finger than most "artists" of today do!!!

[wilmaohman]

i recorded his last perormance [this song] on tv, 90 yrs. old. i loaned it to a friend. kids accidently taped over it, gone forever.

[littleleon]

I was kind of in the same boat. Put it on an older vhs & the tape wore out in no time. Such a shame. Wish a version of him singing just it would show up on you tube. All I've got is him with Dottie Rambo singing it.

[wilmaohman]

if i could remember the station i recorded it from i might be able to find a copy. but i don,t remember.

[1russian]

River of song...on pbs...may be what you're looking for.

[sergiomats]

What is the name of the singer/band who made a reggea version of this? (early 90s, or late 80s)

[pbb8240]

my most favorite

[channel323232]

what a nice song...