House of the Rising Sun - (cover)

Like many classic folk ballads, the authorship of "The House of the Rising Sun" is uncertain. Some musicologists say that it is based on the tradition of broadside ballads such as the Unfortunate Rake of the 18th century which were taken to America by early settlers. Many of these had the theme of "if only" and after a period of evolution, they emerge as American songs like "Streets of Laredo". The tradition of the blues combined with these in which the telling of a sad story has a therapeutic effect.

The oldest known existing recording is by versatile Appalachian artists Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster and was made in 1933.[citation needed] Ashley said he had learned it from his grandfather, Enoch Ashley. Alger "Texas" Alexander's The Risin' Sun, which was recorded in 1928, is sometimes mentioned as the first recording, but this is a completely different song. The Callahan Brothers recorded the song in 1934.

The song might have been lost to obscurity had it not been collected by folklorist Alan Lomax. Lomax and his father were curators of the Archive of American Folk Song for the Library of Congress from 1932. They searched the country for songs. On an expedition with his wife to eastern Kentucky Lomax set up his recording equipment in Middlesborough, Kentucky in the house of a singer and activist called Tilman Cadle. On 15 Sept 1937 he recorded a performance by Georgia Turner, the 16 year-old daughter of a local miner. He called it The Risin' Sun Blues. Lomax later recorded a different version sung by Bert Martin and a third sung by Daw Henson, both eastern Kentucky singers. Lomax, in his seminal 1941 songbook Our Singing Country, credited the lyrics to Turner, with reference to Martin's version. According to his later writing, the melody bears similarities to a traditional English ballad, Matty Groves.[1][2]

Roy Acuff, who recorded the song commercially on November 3, 1938, may have learned the song from Clarence Ashley with whom he sometimes performed. In 1941, Woody Guthrie recorded a version. A recording made by Josh White in 1947 was released on Mercury Records in 1950. In late 1948 Lead Belly recorded a version called "In New Orleans" in the sessions that later became the album Lead Belly's Last Sessions (1994, Smithsonian Folkways). In 1957 Glenn Yarbrough recorded the song for Elektra Records. The song is also credited to Ronnie Gilbert on one of the old Weavers albums with Pete Seeger that was released in the late '40s or early '50s. Frankie Laine recorded the song then titled "New Orleans" on his 1959 "Balladeer" album. Joan Baez recorded it in 1960 on her premier album.[3]. In 1960 Miriam Makeba recorded the song on the RCA album LSP2267,

In late 1961, Bob Dylan recorded the song for his self-titled, first album, Bob Dylan, released in March 1962. Dylan claims a writer's credit for the song. In an interview on the documentary No Direction Home, Dave Van Ronk said that he was intending to record it at that time, and that Bob Dylan copied his version of the song. He recorded it himself soon thereafter on Just Dave Van Ronk.
The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans. Depending on the version, the song may be sung from the perspective of a woman or a man. The most successful version was recorded by the English rock group The Animals in 1964, which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom, United States, Sweden and Canada.

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new bluejeans
My father was a gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans

Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk

Oh mother tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun

Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain

Well, there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

Category:

Music

Tags:

• House
• of
• the
• Rising
• Sun
• Blues
• Folk
• Gospel
• Animals
• 1964

[MichelleMassecre]

Cleveland

[Carlfgauge]

LOL!!!!

[gamnster]

exelent mr bean

master of the guitar 

[Carlfgauge]

Many Thanks!!!

[BIGJOHN3212]

nice cover, your voice is ridiculously like cleveland's from family guy.

[Carlfgauge]

Gracias John!!

[starvinstev]

John Marsten

[KingCliffBurton14]

@TheElitensupreme the funny thing is that cleveland IS voiced by a white guy. Mike Henry. Completely caucasian

[TheElitensupreme]

I never knew Cleveland's voice was done by a white guy....CRAZY!

[BIGJOHN3212]

@Carlfgauge

most definitely. you play the song well amigo.

[Carlfgauge]

I dont watch Cartoons anymore John.. is that a Compliment??