"Listen to the Mockingbird" is one of the most instantly recognizable tunes in the American songbook. Composed in 1855 by Septimus Winter and Richard Milburn, it was originally a plaintive ballad, in which the singer reminisces about his deceased love. It was repurposed as a marching song during the Civil War, and was said to be among Abraham Lincoln's favorites. Over 20 million copies of sheet music were sold in the 19th century, at a time when the U.S. population ranged from 30 to 75 million.
The song has seen many other interpretations over the years, as a comic intro for The Three Stooges and a children's theme on Barney & Friends. It has been recorded by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong. The arrangements below are all country fiddle renditions, a relatively late development in the evolution of the song.
Johnny Jake takes a virtuoso turn:
This rendition by Paul Warren, backed by Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, is closer in tempo to the original:
It is unlikely that Davey Crockett actually played the fiddle at The Alamo, but it seems that he did own a violin, known on the frontier as a Devil's Box. Even so, he couldn't have played "Listen to the Mockingbird," which was not written until 19 years later. In this clip from the 2004 film, Billy Bob Thornton does a great job of fake fiddling -- the real music was provided by Craig Eastman.
Hee Haw often featured great musicians who enjoyed Roy Clark's clowning around:
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