Burl Ives - The original recording of Ghost Riders In The Sky

[BurtShank]

This was the version I grew up hearing. I later heard Vaughn Monroe's, which was an impressive arrangement, but I will always think of the Burl Ives rendition as the classic by which all other must be judged. His will always be the best.

[geronimoijon]

wow what a voice, this men is a good frind from james dean

[BlaCK1Venom]

MAGICAL !!!!!

[ThatDifferentDude]

This is great stuff. I liked it when music was sincere.

[dybbuk4640]

the outlaws do a great rendition  of this great song, too.

[nubs1946]

Great Music history. Thank you.

[myrtlemaid]

heard loads of guitar solo versions of this but never heard the sung version.. and nice to hear the orig version

[StrangeSoundsInfo]

Read the warnings from Jesus about the 'Strange Sounds' that are being heard around the world. You can find the prophecy at Prophecies Org, in Chapter 81 Book 12

Please educate yourself, the frequencies are extremely harmful mind control assaults by the NWO and they are not going to stop.

Read the Truth about Revelation 12 at the site as well. The Obama prophecies are going to shock you!

It is also extremely important that you educate yourself about the false rapture in Chapter 78 Book 12.

[tony13a]

@StrangeSoundsInfo WHAT?. 

[natoya213]

At last, someone who made his lyrics clear and understandable, more songs like it PLEASE„? Loved it!

[45oldbear]

Fabulous, what interpretation, control, dynamics, ringing tone, ease, mobility. I never really knew how good Mr. Ives was.

[seventhrillslater]

I just listened to Vaugh Monroe's version... his voice is completely wrong for this song

[coolanddark]

good cover! You should sing it in slightly lower key though.

[seventhrillslater]

@coolanddark haha

[bomb8645]

@coolanddark I cannot facepalm your comment enough.

[cha5]

Incredible, I came to this video thinking that nothing could compare to Johnny Cash's rendition of this song, certainly not being sung by the same man who gave us the 1960s 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer', but Burl Ives really gives a beautiful haunting ballad here. Thanks for giving us this video.

[rockandroll4evermore]

Love you forever, Burl!

[makjac46]

the most underestimated and unfashionable singer of his time, but he wins! A great version.

[Prorokini1]

Awesome…these high notes!

[philaboston]

was this the first recording of this song? Who was the first artist to record and release this song?

[leofosse]

@philaboston As I wrote in the introduction, this is the first recording and release. A month later in 1949, Vaughn Monroe released the version that was the first big hit.

[Dimirus100]

@philaboston ..man it's simply cool.....

[123dgg456]

I am a grown man and I'm literally in tears, it is so absolutely haunting and beautiful.

[stratege04]

There might be a lot of versions of this songs (and some of them really awesome) - but with this one I had to stop by and couldnt stop listening. Perhaps this one is the real "cowboy version".

[tnsodbuster]

GENE AUTRY sang it in one of his episodes

[bobinhove]

This is the first time I have heard this version, how can anyone follow that!

[WildwoodClaire1]

Nice. Quite different from the Sons of the Pioneers cover (which is less ethereal and a perhaps a bit more fun.)

[JensMNielsen]

Awesome song :D

[RossM3838]

Vaughn Monroe had the hit but this is the keeper. Monroe's also a keeper but this is more haunting.  The Outlaws rock it better than anyother rockers however.

[leofosse]

@RossM3838 I agree. No disrespect to Vaughn Monroe's version and I understand how it would be more commercial. I was just taken aback when I heard for the first time in 2010. I'm so happy so many people have stopped by to listen to it and I hope some have punked down 99 cent on iTunes to buy it.

[debbiedamooseful]

@RossM3838 I love this! Currently, I usually listen to Riders In The Sky sing it, but, you're right..........this is the best. I'll be back.

[ATStrategies]

I have heard a few versions of this song and this seems like the best! I didn't know he had such a range in his voice. Quiet/loud/low/high The "yippee-aye-oh" part sounds like it was done with an echo effect, but it wasn't, this was 1949. Just Ives in a studio with a banjo player.

[leofosse]

@ATStrategies That's not a banjo, it's Ives strumming a guitar. This version is all him, which makes it very different from every other version I've heard. I don't know if he still had this range when he got older.

[ATStrategies]

@leofosse I listened a couple more times and I still think it's a banjo (I'm a guitar player). Thanks for putting this song up; my wife and I really enjoy it.

[MrLasthobo]

@mind ATStrategies if you ever herd this man sing you would have no dough ever in that

[basicaa]

This is the first voice I ever heard singing this wonderful song. I think it was the very first song that ever drew my attention when I was only 3 years old. Loved it then and love it now!

[alomagale]

Thank you for this!

[dawnliz60]

Burl Ives cannot be duplicated! Long live his wonderful music!



[slim2924]

Burl Ives is nothing but gold in 2012.......

I bet he would't think that he'd have fans in 2012, .....the days when we were supposed to have flying cars and what-not........

[hammerogod]

This is something very special.

Burl Ives never came close to getting the credit and recognition he deserved, both as a Pioneer of Folk Music and as an Actor.

The man practically invented Folk Music.

As an Actor he was magical.

Just watch "Wind Across the Everglades" or "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" or "Desire Under the Elms" and try to take your eyes off of him when he is on screen.

He owned every scene he was in.

[perfectstrangr0]

I'm 65 and this is my favorite song of all time, no matter who does it, vocals or instrumental

There are very few bad versions

[jdastro]

The high notes, single voice and strumming guitar give a special dimension to this classic that the more orchestrated versions do not replicate. Thanks for the post!

[Bloody0Martyr]

A nice discovery, thank you uploader for sharing this :~}

[Jakey611]

Never heard this version before!! Still gives me goose bumps, especially the yipee-ai-ay! This song paints such a haunting picture! Thanks for posting!

[MARKSHLO]

And all this time I thought Vaughn Monroe did the original version ... learned something new today

[AiMiA78]

my gran just put me onto Burl on this christmas eve in Scotland. Awsome , this made my grans night. thank you very much :)

[bch2luv]

Burl Ives had a great voice. He grew up in a rural area of central Illinois, not far from my hometown area. Love his Holly Jolly Christmas.

[TheAndroia]

I have many copies of many artists performing this song. It's rather like the Irish song, Danny Boy. Everyone sings it, and there's no bad recording. Just one of those songs that sounds good no matter who does it. But I gotta say...LOL... I really enjoyed Nicolas Cage as just 'one' version of the ghost rider. Even my 80 year old mother liked the movie.

[henderpete]

Dolan Ellis, the official balladeer of the state of AZ and a member of The New Christy Minstrels does a great version of this tune. He gets an ovation at every concert they do.

[JoeKGB1945]

Man this song fits well for the radio broadcasts in Fallout:New Vegas, this could be the theme of the main character.

[vuotopiuscuro]

good 2 have it hear ,-)

[vuotopiuscuro]

i think he saw them ride ...

the others only had a good song 2 sing

[Parses6]

WOW..awesome 

[dubldvideo]

This is great. I've always liked Burl Ives. I loved his "Holly and the Ivy". I like hearing the originals and having them to compare to Bill Barwick's versions of the same kind of songs at dubldvideo.

[AxeNewkill]

Imagine a duet of this song with Burl Ives high voice with Johnny Cash's deep voice! That would be great! Johnny once did a duet with the great Roy Orbison, but their voices did not match well together.

[colorado815]

I have not heard a bad version of this tune

[AzaleePerryqr261]

mmh is ja cool

[Tahoelady1]

I must admit, this was the first time I have heard this rendition, I love Burl Ives but never heard him do this song, not bad at all :)

[LookerQQ4]

wrongo...this was first recorded in 1929 by Scat Man Carouthers (sp). Check it out.

[robbofizz]

@LookerQQ4 He would have only been 19 years old then?? No mention of this recording in any Discography I have found so far.

[funkybassmaster]

@LookerQQ4 You are wrong o. Scatman Crothers did this in 1957. 8 years after this. Where did you get 1929 at?

[Supertomiman]

I kinda like the frankie lane version best...

[paloriggs]

the definitive version

[NovaScotian1992]

New found respect for Burl Ives

[samuelemcsam]

havnt seen any support for the version by the outlaws? pretty much all the versions ive heard have been amazing, but the way the outlaws turn it into an uptempo rush of a song is amazing

[Bobtheclogger]

Really nice ....

[clarkjam1]

Haunting... simply haunting. Love it. :)

[alexhayes]

this is definitely my favorite version. that sparse guitar part and haunting falsetto express the material better than any other version I've heard... for my money, anyway.

[MissRubberBunny]

Burl Ives original adds the dirge-blues to this great country/western classic. Thank You for sharing it.

[lol0817]

I like the johnny cash version, butt this one is much more better!

[MissRubberBunny]

@lol0817 There is always something just that special about an original version song or movie

[spruce314]

I personally like Johnny Cash's version but had always wondered who originally recorded this song. Burl did a great rendition too.

[ozbuc]

Thanks for posting this. It answers that eternal question of who was the first.

[jacob02101988]

wow simply amazing

[ertegin]

This is the real music. Thanks for uploading it.

[thedelda]

Love this and also the history you wrote of it. I did not know that He was the first one to record it. Thanks for the posting of it.

[russtea541]

I'm 66 years old. I first heard Vaughn Monroe sing this when I was about 5 or 6. I later heard Gene Autry do it on one of his cowboy shows. Gene was one of my tv heros. I've heard others do a good job of it over the years. Then I hear the Outlaws do it. Good job. I just heard Burl Ives do it for the first time. WOW, as good as Monroe if not a notch better.

[only1boboso]

I love listening to Burl Ives' version but Johnny Cash does a nice rendition too. Personally, they both do the song exceedingly well.

[leofosse]

@only1boboso There are a lot of great versions.  I'm glad to see how many people have stopped by to listen to this one.

[yves258]

@leofosse

this is a great version

my favourite is still Vaughn Monroe's

thanks for posting

[45oldbear]

@only1boboso I agree that Johnny is great- he really has the great mournful sound and tone for this- but, much as I love him, his interpretive intensity wanes as the song progresses; this is not so with Burl.

[Cherylw002]

Thank you so very much.

[edyraul1]

Waooo

[SuperSeeburg]

This is so good, thank you for the upload!



[BaalZobel]

father had this on a 78, way back in early sixties. haunted me ever since, this version so good

[MrMatto1]

Silver and Gold

[marysue52uk]

Never realised Burl Ives sang this will remember it in our quiz

[19841947]

Great great great and emotional singing !

[abcd0123504]

Burl and Jimmy Rodgers could sing the folk song wonderfully

[LadyTiku]

wow, I am super sentimental right now having recently lost my mother. This is a wonderful blast from the past for me. ^^ I had Burl Ives record as a kid. And he is inseperably tied to all those Xmas animation shows. The image of that snowman fits him too well. I also squaredanced to this song on "kiddies on cammera" when I was about 10. This was a lucky find to trip over on my first time back on 'tube' in 3 years!

[DinosaurCop]

It's your old pal, Stinky Whizelteats!

[picardkid]

1 viewer hates snowmen

[Juliaflo]

Well, raise my blood pressure--I did not know that Burl Ives sang it first.



[cocreatorken]

Thanks for posting this. I love hearing the original version of classic songs.

[terryc47]

Burl Ives tone of voice certainly offers the song the airy tone that such a song deserved

[leofosse]

@terryc47 With a lot of versions, the yippie-ai-ay is sung by a chorus and the the answer is a reply by the lead singer. Burl had both a lovely high and low register, so he could sing both parts without a chorus. That's a major selling point to this recording.

[khalid0423]

Awesome....thanks for the video...

[allantm666]

mto bom !

[bourbonfan1]

I don't always drink beer... When I do, I listen to this!

[m16nut1]

yippie i oh

[Ianesteban10]

Thank you!!! FANTASTIC!!!!

[swordfishmatador]

This is the best!

[placentiabayman]

This is fantastic. What a version. So simple. I have never heard this version before.Truly great. Thank you for posting.

[francoscheepers]

Absolutely fantastic. Thank you

[fidomusic]

I love the versions by The Ramrods and Johnny Cash, but this is really special. Thanks for posting.

[leofosse]

@fidomusic You're welcome. There are a lot of great versions, but this one is so simple it sticks with you.

[JeniDiver]

A long time has past since the legend Burl Ives passed,. He was fine then and he is fine now. The word is better as he is in our memory.

[DansEditorials]

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer saw some ghosts in the sky

[freckles85021]

i have always liked this song but never heard it like this. It was great to hear Burl Ives sining this. thanks fir the post. it is now iin my favorites.

[calisigner]

Wooooooooow, I'm so used to Burl Ives in my favorite old Disney movies, this is so different. Thanks for posting

[vegastrace]

Burl Iveswas a great talent.Did he write this song?

[leofosse]

@vegastrace No, Stan Jones is the writer.

[barney9D]

no dislikes,tells you something

[leofosse]

@barney9D The people who are going to wander by to find this are going to know how different it is from other versions, and different in a good way.

Sometimes, simpler is better, and this is certainly simpler.

[Smirecat]

@leofosse you are right, it certainly is different. i have listened to MANY different versions. this one is... interesting

[boothl232]

per imdb the movie was made in 1949. Stan Jones wrote "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," A chance meeting with Jones led Gene Autry to buy the rights to the song, and he gave Jones a part in the film. A nearly-complete Autry movie, "Beyond the Purple Hills," was quickly retooled to include the song. All sources I can find say the song was written in 1948.

[bill3old]

your right on stan jones, just know burl ives didn't sang that song till in the late 50s. I saw the movie, I did have a picture Gean signed , He was at the showing, He sanged the Song on stage and passed out 10 pictures he singed, you had to have 1/2 of your ticket stub for the drawing. In the 50s several of the country singers recorded it,. It had been 20 years after Gean had done it and the time had run out on it, Eddy Arnold,Burile Ives,Slim Whitman,Tenn Ford, And the List goes on & on,

[leofosse]

After further review, Lloyd is right and Bill is wrong and my original comments on the song stand.

[bill3old]

Sorry but this isn't the first recording of ghost riders, It was first done in the movie by Gean Autry,  the (( movie ghost riders in the sky))) in 1947 ,Vaughn Monroe was playing in the band in the movie; He got the theam for the song by seeing a heard of cows and cowboys in merrior, he thought!!! looks like ghost in the sky;

[Lloydhl]

@bill3old

Stan Jones wrote this in 1948, Monroe had nothing to do with the writing, check your facts before looking foolish (or trolling! The movie came out later in 1949! (Gene did sing it in the movie)

[navydoctrinidad]

Thanks for this magnificent recording. Never be equalled. Charlie

[tawnyjo]

I love this. Even the out of tune guitar adds to it somehow. Burl Ives was such a great singer. :)

[don417]

Much better than Bieber.

[talonk81]

While I like Burl's version, I still prefer Riders in the Sky's version from The Cowboy Way album. It's faster, and they inject their usual humor into it at times, but their harmonies on it are phenomenal.

[996artichoke]

The first and the best

[springloadedchicken]

now this is the sheeeeot... :D  though i enjoy the remakes... esp. cash's and much later the 80s top 40 whatnot via outlaws...

[Kitkat4077]

What a wonderful performance. Burl was such a great artist.

[kemmcg]

Thanks.



[pfslow]

I prefer his later version from "Return of the Wayfaring Stranger" - but that is because I grew up to it as a kid. It's nice that this one is out.

[consul1957]

Heavy!

[MrMorante77]

i love this song nice job men well done

[whurdsderodan]

Now don't get me wrong.. I love Berl Ives.... But did I just hear him say a Ghost Turd in the Sky? ( I know..Im wrong...but I just couldn't help myself) I remember the day Berl passed away in 1995. A great man....

[rayunseitig]

Yippie I A.

[djhvallejo]

I love it, all I remember of Burl Ives was from the christmas songs he sang.

[IKI43kitse]

I have always liked Burl "Big Daddy" Ives but while his was the original, Vaughn Monroe's rendition was the best ever!

[kweju3]

Mind blowing is right! Listened to Vaughn Monroe's version and must admit it's good, full, rich sounding voice. But, Ives', in my opinion, is much more dramatic. The folksy quality of his voice lends believability; his fade-away "yipee-yi-a's" are hauntingly ghost-like and his overall handling of the tune has the effect of creating an image a blind man could see.

[mbarnett80]

This blew my mind

[MrMonsterstiffy]

My grandmother played this when I was young. My Dad had Bing Crosby's version. I prefer Burl Ives.

[L0zz0]

Wait a second, I didn't know I could get Burl Ives recordings! I grew up watching his movies (not when they were new of course.) I gotta find a CD to buy of his songs.

[PyroGothNerd]

You can almost imagine a cowboy sitting by a campfire singing this version.

[spayspay]

Thank you for uploading this. I almost did it myself.

[killertellitubby]

this guy was my childhood hero!

[leofosse]

@ArthurBiele I agree completely. It's a wonderful version and I'm glad to see so many people have stopped by to enjoy it.

[ArthurBiele]

I've listen to many versions of 'Ghost Riders in the Sky', wide range of artist, including many famous artist, and this original 1949 version is by far my favorite version. The single strumming guitar keeping a steady pace as Burl Ives tells the tale of the doomed Ghost Riders in the Sky, with a high pitch and very ghostly voice, and his ghostly hi pitch wailing "Yippy Yi YAAAAA, Yippy Yi YOOoo" is the best.

[tailsoluv]

We had an old 78 of this that lasted until the late 60s at which point either my sister or I dropped it and shattered the record into a million pieces. I just loved this song - it sounded so eery and somewhat frightening when I was a young girl.

[JackKangaroo1]

Burl Ives had a really unique voice. My dad played his records when I was a kid back in the 1950s and to this day I only need to hear a couple of notes of a song by Ives in order to recognize his singing. Great voice, great talent.

[poopyscoopy5]

Doesn't sound like a tenor to me. Baritone with a slightly extended range/falsetto

[YourFaceWillDie468]

@poopyscoopy5 One thing I know is that he didn't look like a tenor. Not someone of his height, physique, and facial hair.

[leofosse]

@diaz0612able: Yes, this is the very first recording. It was written in 1948 and Burl recorded it in early 1949, before the big hit version recorded a month later by Vaughn Monroe and the Moon Men. It's so much simpler than any other version I've ever heard, and I love it for its simplicity.

[FilmForger]

@leofosse On his 34th birthday, 1948, Stan Jones sat outside his Death Valley home and wrote "Ghost Riders In The Sky"

[chartercody]

@leofosse it don't matter who sings it, it always sends chills down peoples spine

[diaz0612able]

is this the original version of the song?

[buddeargor]

@diaz0612able yes

[KawaiiLukiie]

@diaz0612able Yes, the first record, but written 3 years earlier by Stan Jones

[niflap]

@KawaiiLukiie Did Jones ever perform his song publically?

[KawaiiLukiie]

@niflap Hmm sorry I don't know that

[RossM3838]

@diaz0612able Yes! Vaughn Monroe's recording came a month later

[explorer45]

Thank you so much for this beautiful song

[shiekko]

Wow. Powerful!

[leofosse]

I'm glad people are coming by and enjoying it. It's available on iTunes but it's not as well known as I think it should be.

[cremulator69]

really well sung and a great video to go with it

[TchikiSteph]

Amazing recording !