Jim Reeves Distant Drums - original demo

This is the original demo recording of Distant Drums, just Reeves, guitars & drums, no strings or bugle. Dedicated to all soldiers who leave their own "Marys", goto war and never return.

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Music

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• Jim
• Reeves

[closertofiftythanyew]

this is an American Civil War memory song, surely, what you yankies put yourselves through during the 1860s, Abe Lincoln and all that?

[164will]

@closertofiftythanyew The song was written especially for Jim Reeves by Cindy Walker, (who was a close friend of his),this version is the demo he cut for RCA but Chet Atkins decided that, great tho' it was, it wasn't suitable to do a full recording; it wasn't until after Reeves death that it was overdubbed and released in 1966; the rest is, as they say, history!

[fek2000]

@164will I had an annual edition of Billboard Magazine in early 1967 that had this song listed as the Number One song in England in 1966. It was big in USA but even bigger across the sea!

[164will]

@fek2000 It actually kept The Beatles off the number one slot in the UK charts - not easy at that time!

[uubertuu]

do you know where i can find all jims songs

[164will]

Getting ALL Jims songs is no easy task, believe me. The largest collection is one released on the BEAR FAMILY label several years ago. It's still available at various sites on the net, (try AMAZON), but this does not include the excellent overdubs and radio tracks released by VOICEMASTERS, (goto THE JIM REEVES WAY website for details of those).

Hope this helps you and good luck.

ian (164will)

[tomcatjeff1985]

FOR dedication and love to serve for God, country and freedom, these heroe soldiers would leave and never returned to their loveones alive, I have a great respect and admiration for them, God Bless their souls in heaven.

[everhard1000]

pity - few live shows by jim !!!

[hagglasse]

@23842241 It would be great if you could post something never heard before!Waiting to hear Jim in a new song

[INDYOSKARS]

I don´t think that this is a "DEMO", I would call this a proper recording, unissued.

When they issued it back in 1966, "they" decided that it "wasn´t good enough",

& overdubbed it. There have always been "EXPERTS" like that , around country

music (like the guy at Decca who tried giving Uncle Dave Macon a singing lesson),

trying to "better" something that is already perfect, like this version of

"DISTANT DRUMS".

[BearStar1]

@closertofiftythanyew; Boy are YOU Stupid or What? I think What ! This song for your info had NOTHING to do with the Civil War !

[64fairlane305]

@closertofiftythanyew nope, the distant drums was in Vietnam those days

[Xmetro2187]

When this song was resurrected in '66----it became very popular in Viet Nam where i first heard it .

[kobuswarricker]

sal altyd aan jou dink my Dad, ek weet jy was altyd gelukkig met Jim se musiek xx

[ADonovan43]

It is written on the wall that fifty eight thousand Americans heard the sound of the distant drums .Take care ADonovan43