This song, Irving Mills wrote the letter and Cliff Friend put music, the title was original, I’ve got the lovesick blues. The first time it was sung, it was in a musical, “Oh!, Ernestand “, by Anna Chandler.
The first recording made her Elsie Clark, on March 21, 1922, for the label Okeh Records, after this recording the composers of the song, Mills and Cliff, copyrighted song, on April 3, 1922. That same year the song was presented in a show, Boardwalk Club in New York City, in June 1922, and recorded by Jack Shea, for the Vocalion Records label, that summer.
The song was popularized, and Okeh Records, send a scout Ralph Peer, and a team of Asheville, North Carolina, recording among the applicants, an of them shouldered over others, was Ememett Miller (He was a major influence on many country music singers, including Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Milton Brown, Tommy Duncan, and Merle Haggard). Accompanied by the pianist, Walter Rothrock, recorded four songs, including, lovesick blues, in November 1925. Three years later, on June 12, 1928, the same Emmett Miller, returns it to recording, accompanied by The Georgia Crackers (Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Eddie Lang and Leo McConville), not got to like very much. The Rex Griffin country singer, was fixed in this version, changing it to little, recorded it in December 1939, for Decca Records.
Hank Williams, who had heard both versions, Miller and Griffin, inspired them to sing it. I started to sing in The Louisiana Hayride, in August 1948, with only one time was enough to arouse the interest of the audience, getting crazy with the version of Hank Williams. Williams decided that I wanted to record the song, but both the producer, Fred Rose, as his band, does not like the idea of recording it. But Williams aware of the success of the song, recorded at the end of a session in half an hour the song, on December 22, 1948, at the Herzog Studios of Cincinnati, Ohio. A jazz band transformed into a modern country band composed of: rhythm guitar, mandolin, string bass, drums and steel guitar. Williams’ session band was composed of Clyde Baum (mandolin), Zeke Turner (electric guitar), Jerry Byrd (steel guitar), Louis Innis (rhythm guitar), Tommy Jackson (fiddle) and Willie Thawl (bass). Williams changing arrangements lyrical of Griffin, for a few tracks honky tonk two times, and caught a little bit of the rhythm and the yodel of Miller, finally recording the song in two takes.
Finally, recorded in the same Studios Herzog of Cincinnati, on February 11, 1949, Hank Williams leaves the recording, Lovesick blues for the MGM Records label, produced by Fred Rose. Hank got a huge success, selling more than 50,000 copies in the first two weeks and staying 16 weeks in the number one. From May 4, 1949 to September 24, 1949. Lovesick blues was included in the album, Moanin the blues (1952 MGM) , the second for Hank Williams.
Some versions :
Ben Christian and his Texas cowboys 1949 ( 4 Star Records )
George Payne 1955 ( Rodeo Records )
Marty Robbins 1957 ( CBS )
Patsy Cline 1960 ( Decca )
Charley Pride 1969 ( RCA )
Stonewall Jackson 1969 ( Columbia )
Jerry Lee Lewis 1969 ( Sun Records )
Merle Haggard 1973 ( Capitol )
Ronnie Milsap 1976 ( RCA )
Sheila Andrews 1980 ( Ovation Records )
Hank Williams Jr 1983 ( Warner Bros Records )
George Strait 1991 ( MCA )
Moe Bandy 1997 ( Intersound )
Lee Ann Rimes 1999 ( Curb Records )
Tanya Tucker 2009 ( Saguaro Road Records )
And many more…………
Miquel Batlle Garriga
mbatllegarriga@gmail.com