JOHNNY HORTON – Johnny Horton Makes History - (Columbia) - 1960, comment, review.

Check my other comment for biographical detail on Johnny Horton.

This is Johnny Horton’s second album and he further moves away from his straight country roots into saga historical songs.

His first album didn’t make the charts but two of the singles went into the charts:

“When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)” #1US Country

“The Battle Of New Orleans” #1 US Pop, #1 US Country

Both were country folk story songs done with heavy doses of pop to make them as commercially viable, and it worked.

He then released “Sink the Bismarck” another story song and it went #6 Country US and #3 Pop US.

An album of the same or similar was inevitable.

I like the pun in the title: “Johnny Horton Makes History”.

The subtitle "Action Tales of Battles, Heroes, and Epic Events" is even more accurate

All the songs are mini (loose) history lessons.

Much like much of the first album this is well sung, bouncy and good natured. What is lacks is the diversity of the first album. Here the eye is on the money, the saga song, where on the first album there was country lament, Nashville sound ballads. Honky tonk and rockabilly in the mix (toned down largely, but there nonetheless).

With the exception of the two World War Two naval singles, the hit, “Sink the Bismarck” and “Reuben James” the songs are colonial, civil war and wild west and north west and that is perhaps not surprising that is the time period where the myth making and the identity creation of the United States took place. A lot of the incidents also had been the subject matter for films and the writers, Horton included, are getting their history lessons from well-known films to make their history lessons for music.

There is nothing wrong with that as the songs have their own bounce and their inner life.

They also, perhaps, inspired, in part, the early philosophy of the folk revival in the USA in the late 50s and early 1960s. Though not folk they were in the same ball park as The Kingston Trio, The Brothers Four, The Chad Mitchell Trio and the granddaddy of them all The Weavers. In turn it went on to influence (Horton’s good friend) Johnny Cash who recorded albums of thematic historical American music.

And, music can be educational (as can film).

After all, that was the raison d'être for folk music.

You hear the song (watch the film) and want to know more about what is being communicated to you.

I could imagine a kid at the time, and even now, hearing one of these tunes and being suitably roused to reach for his Encyclopaedia Britannica (or laptop) and learn about the people and places in the songs.

I would be happy to go into a coffee shop (that serves alcohol) and hear someone singing these historical tales about other people and other events than about themselves.

It would make a nice change of pace, musically.

In the meantime I can put this album on at dinner parties or BBQs ….

Tracks (best in italics)

Side One

Johnny Freedom – (George Weiss, Jule Styne) – First done by Johnny. A summation of America and freedom. The song was written for the "Freedomland U.S.A." American history theme park in the north-eastern part of The Bronx , New York. Set in the past but with relevance to the (1960) present. Perfect cold war country music.
Jim Bridger – (Leon Payne) – First done by Johnny. A song about this famous frontier scout, trapper and tall tale teller.
Comanche (The Brave Horse) – (Francis Bandy, Johnny Horton) – First recorded by Johnny. The sole survivor of Custer's Seventh Calvary at the Little Big Horn. Quite moving. A popular film about the horse Comanche was made by Disney in 1958, “Tonka”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comanche_(horse)
Snow-Shoe Thompson – (P. M. Howard, Buddy Ebsen) – Recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1952. Co-writer Buddy Ebsen of “Beverly Hillbillies” and “Barnaby Jones” fame was a famous character actor going back to the 30s. I’m not sure how this came about though Ebsen could sing and dance. The song is about John A. Thompson (a Norwegian) who was a mountaineer and a mailman (!) … he transported mail through the harsh winters of the High Sierras.
O'Leary's Cow – (Dave Snow, Ray Winkler, Leroy Morris) – First done by Johnny. About the cow that started the Great Chicago Fire of in 1871.
The Battle Of New Orleans – (Jimmy Driftwood) – This appeared on Horton’s first album “the Spectacular Johnny Horton” but fits in, perfectly, thematically, here … so it was inevitable it would make another appearance. One of the greatest of all history themed songs.

Side Two

John Paul Jones – (Jimmy Driftwood) – Another Jimmy Driftwood song and first done by him in 1959. A big budget Hollywood spectacular named after the naval commander was released in 1959. Jones was a dauntless American naval captain fighting the British during the revolutionary War.
Young Abe Lincoln – (Ronald Huffstettler, Johnny Horton) – done first by Johnny. Lincoln is …. well, if you don't know who Lincoln is you should probably be reading some history rather than this blog. And if you are going to give moving picture life to the man go Henry Fonda not Daniel Day Lewis.
The Battle Of Bull Run – (Leon Payne) – Written by Texan Leon Payne about the over confident North at the start of the Civil War. General Jackson got his nickname here, "Stonewall" when he was compared to the same. The liner notes that in the Battle (there was actually two battles, this is about the first) the South lost more soldiers. I'm not sure where this comes from sources suggest a Confederate victory and less human losses. This is ballsy. I believe this was first recorded by Johnny.
The Sinking Of The Reuben James – (Almanac Singers) – written by Woody Guthrie with others whilst he was in the Allmanac Singers. The Reuben James was the first US navy warship sunk by the Germans in World War 2. A great song. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sinking_of_the_Reuben_James
Johnny Reb – (Merle Kilgore) – a first recorded by Johnny. The author released his version in 1963. Interestingly a popular TV western TV show that ran from 1959- 1961, called “The Rebel” dealt with a young Confederate Army veteran Johnny Yuma. This is an ode to the Confederate soldier.
Sink The Bismarck – (Johnny Horton, Tillman Franks) – first done by Johnny. The song was “inspired by” the film and commissioned by the US film studio to sell the film given Americans minimal knowledge of this piece of English World War 2 history. It worked. A great song. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sink_the_Bismark