Hawaii's official state anthem,Hawai`i Pono`î, happens to be a waltz in form although no one would think to dance to it. It is performed with the same seriousness granted to another similar waltz, God Save the Queen. Hawai`i Pono`î (the title translates from the Hawaiian language as Hawaii's Own True Sons) was introduced in 1874. The lyrics were written that year by King David Kalākaua (full name: David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua), the last King of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. The music was composed earlier, 1872, by Captain Henri Berger, the King's royal bandmaster. Berger based the tune on the Prussian National Anthem, Heil Dir Im Siegerkranz, which itself is based on God Save the Queen. While the three are rhythmically almost identical, the melody of Hawai`i Pono`î is different enough to be distinguished from the other two. It was made the official Hawaiian state anthem in 1967 but before that was national anthem of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, the national anthem of the Republic of Hawaii and the adopted song of the Territory of Hawaii. A popular version from YouTube is shown below. A simplified score and lyrics are included at the bottom of this blog post.
As to waltzes with Hawaii in the title, a search found only two:
In 1959, Fred Astaire introduced a set of five LP's which contained dance music used in his franchised dance studios. Each LP contained an instruction book and if you took the instruction book to one of his studios, you got a free dance lesson. The LP titled American Waltzes on the RCA Camden label contained a song titled The Hawaiian Waltz. It is performed by the Fred Astaire Dance Studio Orchestra but details of the background of that orchestra or the composer of the song have not been found.
The second is an original by Canadian finger-style guitarist and luthier, Simon Budd, titled Hawaii ala Waltz. It is found on his 2006 recording, The Wait is Over.
What is not included:
There is a genre of Hawaiian music which includes many
waltzes but there are very few which share the words
"Hawaii" or even, "Hawaiian" and "waltz" in the title. A classic example
of this is the 1914 recording of Hawiian Waltz Medley on the Victor
label by Pale K. Lua and David K. Kaili
There were also a number of "false positives" is the search for Hawaii Waltz. One of my favorites was Michael Bøgebjerg Petersen's Hawaii Waltz which turned out to be his own interpretation of Peter Kraus'sSwartze Rose, Marie.
A second probable "false positive" is from Hammond organ specialist, Klaus Wunderlich, which appears in this YouTube video titled Hawaii Waltz. It is a waltz, actually a medley of waltzes and although there is perhaps a Hawaii Waltz somewhere in that medley, no other evidence that he recorded such a waltz could be found (and he recorded many, many tunes on the organ).
Georgia adopted an official State Waltz in 1951. It is titled Our Georgia and was composed by James Burch. The story is that Burch played the waltz on the piano and sang it at the Georgia Democratic State Convention in 1951 and those attending were so impressed that they took it back to the Georgia General Assembly and with Georgia Code, Title 50, Section 3-61 made it the official state waltz.
The song was published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., New York but is no longer in their catalog. Copies of the song are not common but Peter B. Shirts, Music Librarian at the Robert W. Woodruff Library of Emory University was kind enough to track down a copy in the Special Collections Library at the University of Georgia. In addition, Ephraim J. Rotter, Curator of the Thomas County [GA] Historical Society has supplied a copy of the sheet music from the Burch-Hargrave Collection of the Thomas County [GA] Historical Society. Mr. Rotter has cataloged the Burch-Hargrave Papers and read hundreds of Burch's letters and notes and has this to say about the composer of Our Georgia, "Burch was a bitter, narcissistic, angry, paranoid individual. He was deeply
involved in the founding of the Thomas County Historical Society, and eventually
alienated everyone around him in his pursuit of recognition of his own perceived
greatness. He died of a heart attack in 1963 following the publication of the
Historical Society’s first book,Antebellum Thomas County,the day after a rather public outburst at
his perception that he wasn’t being praised as much as he should for his role in
the publication."
A computer generated rendition of Our Georgia created from that score can be heard below.
Many thanks to Gynnie Moody and Susan and Mike Brantly for making the connections with the Thomas County Historical Society. A simplified score and lyrics for Our Georgia are provided at the bottom of this blog.
Leaving behind the official state waltz, there are two 19th century sheet music versions from the Library of Congress
You can hear a computer generated version of Grobe's waltz below.
The most popular 20th century Georgia waltz was written by George "Speedy" Krise (1922-2011) and Mac Wiseman's performance of Krise's Georgia Waltz is the most viewed Georgia waltz on YouTube. Wiseman's performance is captured on a 10", 78 rpm record on the Dot label, Dot 1092, issued in 1952. According to an article in the July 8, 2006 Virgini-Pilot the song was considered as the state song for Georgia but lost out to Georgia on My Mind. Lyrics and a simplified score can be found at the bottom of this blog post. You can listen to the tune below:
Many people have performed covers of the Krise/Wiseman Georgia Waltz. You'll find a couple on YouTube:
A back-porch version with David and Nancy featuring some wonderful harmony here.
A 2012 performance by David Peterson playing solo guitar and singing at The Rock in Rockmart, Georgia is here.
The late singer/song writer Tom Barger recorded Sweet Georgia Waltz on the LP, I Stand Alone. You can find quite of few of Barger's song on his YouTube channel including a "live" version of Sweet Georgia Waltz which is actually a demonstration of Barger's professional skills as a video editor since the sound track is identical to that of the LP. The song was recorded much earlier, in 1975, by Larry Roberds on a 45 rpm record (Resco 538). Interestingly, the composer of Sweet Georgia Waltz is shown on that record as Thomas Barber rather than Thomas Barger. An error, perhaps? You can hear both versions of the song in the videos below.
In 1983, singer/song writer, Jim Palana recorded a song he wrote titled Old Georgia Waltz on an LP titled Back in Town issued on the Drumless Record label (DCR-1000). The lyrics deserve a listen but the melody is not up the standards of the previous two examples. As recently as 2012, Palana still included the song in his shows and you can see him perform it at the Catbird Cafe in Weymouth, Massachusetts in the video below.
In the video below, Tom Phipps tells the story of the creation of the Tennessee Waltz and observes that there was not a Georgia Waltz so he created one some time around 2007 while "messin' around with his son's guitar" in Detroit. Tom may have missed a couple of other earlier versions of Georgia Waltz but he did write a nice one. He sings it here accompanied on guitar by John Brown.
There is another entertaining version of Phipps singing his Georgia Waltz, perhaps with family members, here.
The progressive bluegrass band Control Burn takes a quite different approach in their own Georgia Waltz composed by their guitarist, Harris Kendrick, and captured live at the Hunt House in Marietta, Georgia. This is a wonderful blend of jazz and bluegrass played by some very talented young musicians.
And in stark contrast to Control Burn, this blog post on Georgia waltzes will close with the Red Mountain Yellowhammers, an old-time string band from Birmingham, Alabama playing Georgia Waltz on their recording Throw the Old Cow Over the Fence (on the Whoop it Up label). The liner notes from that album indicate they learned it from fiddler, James Bryan, who learned it from a depression era mandolin player named Joe Sharp. It has been preserved by the folk process until crystallized in this recording.
What was not included:
Georgia Waltz by Guitarist Anthony Wilson and his "little big band" on the LP Goat Hill Junket (you can hear it on YouTube here). Not included because although it starts out and ends as a waltz, the bulk of the tune is fine jazz but it is not a waltz.
A cover of Jim Palana's Old Georgia Waltz by Chris Lee - left out because its tough to compete with the original which is included above..
Several issued copyrights document the existence of other waltzes but no recordings or other evidence of the following were found:
Copyright notice on The Georgia Waltz to Shannon Gray - 1967
Copyright notice on Georgia Waltz to Walker W. Lilly = 1967
Copyright notice on Georgia Waltz to Pearle Heard Bryant - 1959
Copyright notice on Georgia Waltz to Marion Young - 1967
There are no doubt other copyrighted Georgia waltzes but there is no convenient way to do a thorough search. These four were found by searching Google Books.
There is evidence of several other recorded Georgia waltzes but sound or video was not found for them:
Billboard notice of record release - Georgia Waltz by Bill Franklin on the Abbey label in 1951
Georgia Waltz by Leon Beavers on the Yonah label in 1960
Georgia Waltz by Henry Four on Decca label in 1958
Here are the lyrics and the simplified score for the official state waltz, Our Georgia:
Verse 1
It's a grand old state, our Georgia. There the Swannee River flows. A bit of God's own Heaven As everybody knows. And when I go a-roaming, A longing fills my breast. A song there comes from out my heart For the state I love the best.
Chorus
Georgia-land, Georgia-land, Georgia-land The Cherokee roses are blooming. Georgia-land, Georgia-land, Georgia-land. The stars up above are shining. Georgia-land, Georgia-land, Georgia-land. The dogwoods are smiling so tender. If nothing will do And you're feeling blue Just come to Georgia-land.
Verse 2
There are greater states than our state In wealth and pomp and power. But have they got that little thing, The magic of a flower? So when it comes to living, And having life's repose We must not skip that blessing, The glory of our rose.
And, finally, here are the lyrics and the simplified score for "Speedy" Krise's Georgia Waltz:
Georgia Waltz words and music by George "Speedy" Krise
The moon shone down in Georgia. I held you in my arms. We danced a waltz, a beautiful waltz. You smiled with all your charms and all of the boys were jealous. We danced that whole night through. A lovely night of friendal[sic] and that Georgia waltz and you.
Those memories still haunt me. They seem to linger near. The band was playing softly. I whispered in your ear and told you how I loved you. You said that you loved me too. How do you think I could ever forget that Georgia waltz and you.
Mac Wiseman sings this in the key of D flat. It has been transposed here to the key of D which most people will find easier to play.
There is no official state waltz for Florida although from 1913 to 1935, the state song, Florida, My Florida, was in waltz form - 3/4 time. The words were by Rev. C.V. Waugh put to the tune of O Tannenbaum so the tune did not invite dancing. In 1935, Florida, My Florida was replaced by Swanee River. But, if the state should choose to return the state song to a waltz, there are at least fifteen versions of a Florida Waltz that the state could consider.
The most listened to Florida waltz on YouTube is Vassar Clements' Florida Waltz recorded in the album Southern Country Waltzes in 1970. From a contact with Patricia Sharman through the excellent Take's Blugrass Album Channel, I learned that the information on the Southern Country Waltzes album indicates that Clements' band is playing the Florida Waltz composed by J. Winter in 1844. You can hear Clements' Florida Waltz below and find a simplified transcription score at the bottom of this blog.
Interestingly, the sheet music for that 1844, Florida Waltz by J. Winter being played by Vassar Clements can be found on the Library of Congress website. A MIDI performance of the piece can be found in the video below. Careful listeners may find it difficult to find the same song in the two versions. Perhaps this is the folk process in action, or perhaps it just a mistake somewhere in the chain of information since 1844.
There are two other songs titled Florida Waltz in the Library of Congress collection:
an 1872 version by A.E. Polack published by John Church and Company, Cincinnati. The piano score may be viewed here. This is a parlor waltz, not meant for dancing or singing but rather to show off piano skills.
an 1876 version by Louis Wallach published by Charles W. Harris, New York. The piano score may be viewed here. It is an elegant waltz, no doubt dance-able in its era.
As the 19th century turned to the 20th, Newport, R.I. was America's first real resort. A major entertainment attraction in Newport was the daily concert at the Casino by Henry Conrad's Orchestra. Admission was fifty cents - not cheap in those days. Conrad later moved his orchestra to New York City and became a popular society band. He also began to record for Edison records. In 1921, he recorded Waltz Florida which was available on both Edison cylinders and disk. The composer of Waltz Florida is unknown but you can still hear the music just as Edison recorded it in the video below.
While there are no video or mp3 versions of them to share there followed several other Florida waltzes.
In 1920, Joseph Anthus composed a Florida Waltz which was available in sheet music.
Sometime in the 1960'sthere were three 45 rpm records released with Florida waltzes: Bruce Eller composed and performed The Florida Waltz on a 45 rpm on the Tropical label; Donald Johns recorded a vocal Florida Waltz on the NSD label; and Roger Smith recorded Florida Sunshine Waltz composed by Frank Patterson on theAbalone label.
There are five more recent Florida waltzes. Perhaps the most unusual one is The Florida Waltz by Frank Loconto, a member of a 50's trio known as the Lane Brothers whose big hit was a ladies fashion protest song, Boppin' in a Sack. For many years you could hear Loconto singing with his friends every Sunday at Mango's Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. He is well connected musically and politically and counts Bob Graham, former Presidential candidate, Senator and Governor of Florida among his friends. In 1978, then Governor Graham helped officially open Loconto's FXL Sound Studios in Florida. At some date between 1978 and 2010, Graham recorded a recitation of When I Think of Florida, perhaps written by Loconto, over a symphonic version (perhaps played by the Sunrise Pops) of The Florida Waltz probably composed by Loconto. It was apparently never released as a recording but is available on YouTube:
Number one on the feel-good scale is Florida Waltz (One, Two, Three, Florida) written by Larry Whitler, a singer/song writer from Ocala, Florida. Whitler is also a radio personality and artist. In 2014, it was recorded on an album of the same name by My Uncle's Friends with Whitler on vocal and accordion. You can enjoy it here:
Our Florida Waltz by Malcolm McKenney was released 2009 on McKenney's album My Home Florida. McKinney currently lives in southeastern Florida and has a long track record as a composer dating back to Jonathan Edward's Sugar Creek band in 60's. He has at least four other albums out under his own name and is a frequent performer on the folk circuit in Florida. This is a great song to listen to but no one is going to dance a waltz to Our Florida Waltz although they might get a high school slow dance out of it - it is really a duple ballad with triplets on every beat.
And finally, a very nice instrumental Florida Waltz performed on solo guitar by Robert Boggs. It sounds traditional but a personal communication with Boggs indicates that he is indeed the composer of the piece.
What has been left out: The Library of Congress indicates that there is an 1879 song titled The Florida Waltz by Henry Kleber, published by Firth Pond and Co., New York. However, if you look at the piano score you will discover that it is actually The Florilla Waltz. Even the Library of Congress makes mistakes. If you know of other Florida waltzes that have been left out, please leave a comment.
As promised, here is a simple score for the Florida Waltz approximately as played by Vassar Clements:
Clements actually plays this in the key of E. It has been transposed here to the easier-to-play key of D.
Delaware has no official state waltz. There are two waltzes titled Delaware but since both seem to relate more to the Delaware River than to the State of Delaware, neither seems likely to be a candidate for an official state waltz.
In February, 1920, the Victor recording of Let the Rest of the World Go By by Charles Hart and Elizabeth Spencer hit number 2 on the record charts. In 1921, hoping to get another hit, Hart and Spencer recorded Delaware, a waltz, for Thomas Edison's record company. It was released both as a Blue Amberol cylinder and as a Diamond Disc. Elizabeth Spencer is the most recorded vocalist on Edison records - more than 600 recording sessions. Charles Hart, her duet partner, was a Broadway musical star and later sang opera. Fortunately, their recording is available courtesy of the University of California, Santa Barbara Library Cylinder Audio Archive. You can hear it below.
The song, whose title on the sheet music is Delaware Waltz Song, was composed by the Tin Pan Alley composer, producer and and band contractor, Marvin Smolev. Curiously, jazz artist Cliff Jackson and his Krazy Kats released records under the alias Marvin Smolev and the Syncopators on the Grey Gull label - Smolev himself apparently never appeared on a recording. In addition to the Spencer/Hart recording, the piece achieved some success as sheet music published by Joseph P. McDaniel (who also wrote the lyrics for Delaware). While long out of print, you can still buy a digital copy of the music from Sheet Music Plus. You can hear a MIDI rendition of the sheet music version below.
You will also find a simplified score and lyrics near the bottom of this blog.
What has been left out?
Brigid Kaelin has recorded a very nice, country style waltz titled Delaware which you can listen to here. I have left it out because it's subject is clearly not the state but rather the Delaware River and George Washington's crossing of it - and it is a tenuous connection to the river at that. Nevertheless, it is a nice song by a talented musician.
In 1863, T.M. Todd composed a Grand Waltz for piano which is titled Sounds from Fort Delaware. There is a copy of it in the U.S. Library of Congress Civil War Music collection which you can see on-line here.
[Note added 8/3/19 - add video https://youtu.be/iPYo7JpPoFg
If you are aware of other Delaware waltzes, please leave a comment below.
Simplified Score:
Lyrics:
Verse One: Delaware you're beautiful, Delaware you're wonderful. Stream of my delight, Reflecting stars at night.
In my little wonder boat, I just want to sit and float While the moon is gleaming To where my love lies dreaming.
Chorus:
Winds are softly sighing thru the shady trees. Bringing to me tender memories. Moonbeams slyly stealing thru the Sycamore Seem to say my love awaits me on the shore. Hurry Delaware, before my love awakes. Hurry Delaware, before my heart breaks. Take me Delaware, Oh, take me where my heart longs to be tonight.
Verse Two:
Delaware I love you so. Delaware I want to go To the spot so fair, With beauty oh so rare
In 2011, a bill was introduced to the Connecticut General Assembly to make Joseph Leggo's Beautiful Connecticut Waltz the official state waltz. That bill did not proceed. Then in 2013, it was proposed that the Beautiful Connecticut Waltz be named as the states second official song (the first is Yankee Doodle) and that proposal was passed in April of that year. There appears to be only one recorded version of the song which you can hear below. Lyrics and a simplified score may be found at the end of this blog.
You will find an excellent biography of Joe Leggo, the composer of Beautiful Connecticut Waltz, and the story behind the song in this official Connecticut Legislature webpage. Leggo wrote the piece for his wife in 1949, just two years after moving to Connecticut. Interestingly, the same bill that made Leggo's tune the second official state song also declared that Gustave Whitehead, not the Wright brothers made the first powered airplane flight - in Connecticut, of course.
There are two other Connecticut waltzes of note. In 2001, the group ShoreGrass recorded their own, original Connecticut Waltz in their very first album, In Connecticut. It is purely instrumental and bluegrass in style. Here it is:
The third Connecticut waltz of note is by the American composer Virgil Thomson. Thomson is known for his musical portraits of his friends. He would sit the friend across from the piano, just as an artist might sit a subject if front of an easel, and compose a spontaneous and intuitive musical portrait of the friend. He composed 140 such portraits including, in 1935, a portrait of Harold Lewis Cook, an American poet, who at the time of the sitting was head of the English Department at Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut. He titled the work Connecticut Waltz: Harold Lewis Cook. You can hear it hear below in a performance by Logan Skelton (from an album titled Virgil Thomson).
What was left out? Evidence of three additional tunes titled Connecticut Waltz were found but no hints as to what those tunes might sound like. One by Barbara Shaw and two listed in a 1950's copyright summary - one by James Alphonse and the other by Ruth Bender.
The simplified score of Joseph Leggo's official state song, followed by the lyrics:
Beautiful Connecticut Waltz. Play it over again. Your rivers and streams Flow through my dreams. I’m hoping it never would end.
From Hartford to New Haven, I’ve kept on savin’ All of my dances for you.
Beautiful Connecticut Waltz, As cool as a mid-summer’s breeze. The birds sing their song As we dance along. Together forever we’ll be.
From Hartford to New Haven, I’ve kept on savin’ All my dances for you.
Beautiful Connecticut Waltz. The birds sing their song As we dance along. Together forever we’ll be.
From Hartford to New Haven, I’ll keep on savin’ All of my dances for you.
Beautiful Connecticut Waltz All of my dancing forever and ever with you For ever and ever, Forever with you.
The official state song of Colorado, Where the Columbines Grow, happens to be a waltz, although with its scored variations in tempo it is more of a waltz to be sung than to be danced. It was composed by A.J. Fynn in 1911 and adopted as the official state song in 1915. The story behind this song is extraordinarily well documented in this twenty-five page monograph by Robert Natelson. From Professor Natelson's monograph you will learn that Fynn was born in 1857 in Salisbury, N.Y. and died in 1930. He was not a professional musician although he did play the fiddle (and probably the piano) and published two other pieces of music. Fynn was an educator, serving as principal in several Colorado schools, and he eventually was granted a PhD from the University of Colorado. He was also a serious archaeologist who published two books on his studies of the American Indian.
There are a number of videos of performances of Where the Columbines Grow. None of them seem to capture early twentieth century Colorado, but the one below by Melanie may be the closest. It closely follows the original sheet music which can be found here. A simplified score and lyrics (including an elusive fourth verse) are included at the end of this blog.
There are a number of other waltzes celebrating the state of Colorado which are submitted below in chronological order.
In 1950, Shorty Long and the Sante Fe Rangers recorded Waltz of Colorado on RCA Victor 48-0347.
The song was popular enough to receive a review in Cash Box Magazine, July 15, 1950. Shorty Long was Italian (his birth name was Emidio Vagnoni) with no known connections to Colorado. Long was a classically trained violinist who played in the Reading, PA symphony but made his mark as a performer and club owner in the country music world. He was the owner of the Sante Fe Ranch club (hence the name of his band) in Exeter, Pennsylvania. You can hear Shorty Long's waltz below.
In 1951 or 1952, Dave Spielman and the Rhythm Rangers released Colorado Waltz on the Ranger label headquartered in Colorado Springs. The tune was written by Dave, his wife Billie, and W.S. Stephenson. Curiously, the 1949 copyright refers to Bruce Romack's name rather than Stephenson's. I think the photo used in the video below comes from a vintage postcard of the band.
In 1968, Cal Tjader wrote Colorado Waltz, probably with the Red Onion Club in Aspen, Colorado in mind. He recorded it at that club with his quintet on the album Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader. One of the more interesting covers Tjader's Colorado Waltz is by Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica Quintet in an arrangement by Brian O'Neill. You can find O'Neill's version on YouTube here and you can listen to the original below.
In 1988, a twelve year old Vi Wickham, wrote the first half of a tune he called Colorado Waltz, his dad, also a fiddler, added the last half. Vi grew up to be a well known fiddler and three fiddle champ of Colorado. In 2012, he put the tune on YouTube as part of his popular Fiddle Tune a Day series where you can find it today.
In 1995, Roz Brown released an album titled My Best to You which contains a Colorado Waltz which he sings and accompanies himself on the autoharp. The song was written by his friend, Wes Sharp. If you ask for it, you can probably hear him sing it at the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver - he has been there Thursday through Saturday for thirty years. You can hear Roz sing his Colorado Waltz below. If you want to make your own version, lyrics and chords are here.
Jody Adam'sColorado Mountain Waltz is found on this 2013 album Deep Roots. This is perhaps the most relaxed and beautiful of all the Colorado waltzes. In contrast to most of the others, this is strictly an instrumental.
In 2014, Marshall Bailey and the Silver Bullets released their own Colorado Waltz on the Night Rider album. While the Silver Bullets are from Kansas, not Colorado, this version sounds like a real Colorado waltz to me.
There are several examples of waltzes celebrating Colorado which were recorded but for which on-line examples have not been found. Those include:
In 1950, Shorty Joe (Quartuccio) and Bob Simas wrote Colorado Waltz which was released on the Golden West label performed by Shorty Joe and the Red Rock Canyon Cowboys.
In 1951, Skip Graves recorded a 45 rpm record version of Colorado Waltz on the Hornet label. The song was written by John Wesley (Wes) Sharp and copyrighted in an arrangement by Leland Louis Goeman.
Some time in the 50's, a group called the Midwesterners (Jack, Bud, Don and Scrappy) recorded their Waltz of the Colorado Hills on the Ranger label. The vocalist was Bud Walker but Jack, Don and Scrappy are not further identified.
Bobby Beers and the Buddy Leet trio recorded Colorado Waltz on the Silver State label probably in the 1950's.
A search of copyright records available through the Internet Archives found the following additional examples of waltzes celebrating Colorado. No evidence was found that these were ever recorded or published as sheet music.
Colorado Waltz, copyright 1918 to M. Laughlin Silv'ry Colorado: waltz, copyright 1920 words to Allan Flynn and music to Jack Egan. Beautiful Colorado Waltz, copyright 1921 to G.W. Oles Colorado Waltz, copyright 1924 to A.R. Michel Happy Colorado: waltz, copyright 1926 words to William O. Rogers and music to L.W. Cowles. Beautiful Colorado: waltz, copyright 1930 to A. Molitor Colorado: waltz song, copyright 1933 to Selma Esther Leopold. In the Hills of Colorado: waltz, copyright 1934 words and music to Harry Leon and Leo Towers The Colorado Waltz, copyright 1946, words to Celeste H. Sollo and music to Harry Andrew Sollo Colorado Waltz, copyright 1948, words and music to Joseph Albert Quartuccio The Colorado Waltz, copyright 1949, words and music to Harold Lee Summers. Colorado Waltz, copyright, 1951, words and music to Dorothy F. Takabayashi in an arrangement by Melba Pennington. Colorado Waltz, copyright, 1951, words and music to Richard May Kiser. The Colorado Waltz, copyright, 1951, words and music to Medwin Theodore Cox. Colorado (waltz), copyright 1951, three different arrangements of a piece composed in the 1920's by Walter Hirsch and Harold Dellon. Was recorded on Columbia 139 in 1924. Also on Brunswick 2771 in 1925 Colorado Waltz, copyright, 1952, words to Allen Wilder and music to Ray Perkins The Colorado Waltz, copyright, 1952, words and music to Bernard Charles Wingert. Whisp'ring Colorado Waltz, copyright 1953, words to Imogene Bloomfield and music to George W. Brueker and Chaw Mank. Colorado Waltz, copyright 1954, words to Philomena Marie Tubbs and music to James Collachia Colorado Waltz, copyright 1955, words and music to Jack Lewis Roney. The Colorado Waltz, copyright 1974, words and music to Eddie Thompson, pseud. of Edwin J. Beattes.
What is not included in this blog:
In 1930, Robert King composedMoonlight on the Colorado which was incorrectly titled as Colorado Waltz on a recording by Fred Bergin which you can hear here. This is a great old song recorded by many people ranging from The Platters to the Sons of the Pioneers but it is not the Colorado Waltz and the lyrics make it clear that it refers to the river, not the state.
In 2014, the children at the Blue Grass Camp in Crested Butte, CO wrote and performed their own version of Colorado Waltz. You may enjoy their performance of the tune here.
In 2015, the Meanwells released a digital demo album which contained their garage band version of Colorado Waltz. You can here it here.
There are no doubt other Colorado Waltzes that have been overlooked. If you know one, please leave a comment.
And, finally, here is that promised version of Where the Columbines Grow.
Lyrics for Where the Columbines Grow
Where the snowy peaks gleam in the moonlight,
Above the dark forests of pine,
And the wild foaming waters dash onward,
Toward lands where the tropic stars shine;
Where the scream of the bold mountain eagle
Responds to the notes of the dove
Is the purple robed West, the land that is best,
The pioneer land that we love.
CHORUS
Tis the land where the columbines grow,
Overlooking the plains far below,
While the cool summer breeze in the evergreen trees
Softly sings where the columbines grow.
VERSE 2
The bison is gone from the upland,
The deer from the canyon has fled,
The home of the wolf is deserted,
The antelope moans for his dead,
The war whoop re-echoes no longer,
The Indian's only a name,
And the nymphs of the grove in their loneliness rove,
But the columbine blooms just the same.
VERSE 3
Let the violet brighten the brookside,
In sunlight of earlier spring,
Let the fair clover bedeck the green meadow,
In days when the orioles sing,
Let the golden rod herald the autumn,
But, under the midsummer sky,
In its fair Western home, may the columbine bloom
Till our great mountain rivers run dry.
In 1921, to answer complaints that the song never mentioned Colorado, Fynn added a fourth verse. It never caught on and if it were not for the efforts of Professor Natalson, it might have been lost.
VERSE 4
From the far eastern prairie and lakeland, From still farther lands by the sea, Over perilous paths to our mountains, Came the pioneers, fearless and free. They came with the bold resolution A commonwealth here to create, And the watchword they bore was the name we adore, “Colorado,” the columbine state.
There is no official California waltz but there is no lack of candidates. The earliest detectable California waltzes date to the gold rush days of the mid-19th century. The most recent was released in June of this year by a Brazilian jazz guitarist. Those and the ones in between will be reviewed in chronological order.
There are two California Waltzes from the gold rush days, both published in 1849 and available from the Notated Music collection in the Library of Congress. One is by Eliza Fitz and the other by Royal Beal. Neither of these composers left a trace other than their California Waltz offerings. You can hear an example of a California Waltz from the gold rush days below.
The next version found was from 1921, Beautiful California Waltz, words by Raymond DeWitt and music by C.E. Storer. This waltz was popular enough to be recorded by several piano roll companies and sheet music was issued. The piano roll issued by the Mastertouch Piano Roll company has been preserved and converted into a MIDI file by Terry Smythe. You can hear it below.
In 1948 (?), western singer Eddie Dean and the Frontiersmen recorded a version of California Waltz by Dean, Hal Blair and Ethel Girvin on a 78 rpm record on the Crystal Label. Crystal re-released the song at least once at a later date (1959?). While hundred's of Eddie Dean tunes have been digitized and are available, California Waltz is apparently not among them.
The best known California waltz was written by Dorothy Stiles in 1951 and made famous by Tommy Duncan. You can hear it below and view lyrics and a score near the bottom of this page.
The
story behind this waltz is apparently unknown. I find no trace of
other songs by Dorothy Stiles, only the references to her in copyright
notices about the waltz. Tommy Duncan, on the other hand, is well known
as the primary vocalist for Bob Wills' famous Texas Playboys. California Waltz was recorded after he left the Texas Playboys and first appeared on the B side of a 78 rpm record in 1951. It has since appeared on several reissues of his music, most recently the 1996 album Beneath a Neon Star in a Honk Tonk.
In ca. 1959, Jim Moore and the Golden Valley Boys released their California Waltz on the Fable Records label, Fable 705. Fable records was owned by Sandy Stanton who also played guitar on the record. Jim Moore has copyrights on some 1953 tunes, but I find no evidence that he wrote this one.
There is a "traditional" California Waltz recorded by Lynn "Chirps" Smith in 2003 on the Down in Little Egypt album. I believe Smith collected the tune in person and it is evidently not widely know in fiddle circles because I find no other references to it. A score is available here.
And, finally, there are two contemporary versions. The first released in 2005 by Hans York on his Inside Out album. Definitively modern, it takes the concept of a state waltz in a new direction. The tune was composed by Evo Bluestein, a member of a famous California folk music family, and Hannsjoerg Scheid who also functions as art director for York's albums. York is joined by Elke Deipenbeck on the vocals. You can find the lyrics here and hear the waltz in the video below.
And finally, a laid back jazz version of California Waltz by Brazilian guitarist Guilherme Zanini and his band, Groove Solution which was released in June of this year. Guitar great, Steve Vai, listening to the tune says it is "beautiful" and the "guitar sings very sweet." This is, perhaps an example of saving the best for last.
For those looking for a little music to play, here is a simplified score for California Waltz. as sung by Tommy Duncan, although not in the original key.
And, his lyrics:
California Waltz
The moon was shining on the sand and it seemed to understand as we danced to the California waltz. I held your lovely hand in mine and you won my heart the time we danced to the California waltz.
The hills and moonlit sky told me our love would never die and I'll always have you near me all through life. So let me take your hand once more as we glide across the floor and we'll dance to the California waltz.
The Arkansas Waltz by Cletus Jones and Bill Urfer has been claimed to be the official state waltz but it deserves an asterisk. In 1971, Jones and Urfer managed to get the Arkansas Senate to pass a bill naming their waltz as the official state waltz. That same year, Luke Jeter, convinced the Arkansas House to pass a bill naming his Arkansas Waltz as the official state waltz. The House voted down the Jones/Urfer waltz and the Senate never considered the Jeter waltz. Consequently, this battle of the waltzes has never been resolved. The full story is well covered in this article from The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Undeterred, Jones and Urfer released an album titled The Official Arkansas Waltz and published sheet music similarly labeled. Jeter's Arkansas Waltz seems to have disappeared without a trace. Lyrics and simplified score for the Jones and Urfer waltz can be found at the bottom of this blog.
Arkansas Waltz - Cletus "Slim" Jones
There are at least two other candidates that the Arkansas legislature could consider for an official state waltz. One is a composition titled Arkansas Waltz composed on July 4, 2008 by Dave Matheson. The other is titled The Arkansas Serenade Waltz composed in 1882 by Henry Morschheimer. This older waltz can be viewed in its original sheet music form at the Library of Congress website. If you know of other state waltz candidates or if you can lead me to a copy of Jeter's Arkansas Waltz, a comment below would be appreciated.
I have not found a sound or video file of Morschheimer's waltz but you can view Matheson singing and playing his waltz below.
Some may question if Arkansas really needs an asterisk-free state waltz. After all, they already have a state instrument (the fiddle) and four state songs; but this blog believes every state should have an official state waltz. However, the legislature may want to wait a bit - better candidates may come along.
Lyrics for the Jones and Urfer Arkansas Waltz:
Arkansas
waltz, we'll waltz tonight beneath the Ozark moon so bright.
I'll waltz with you and hold you tight this lovely night.
I feel that I'm a lucky man to share your life in this great
land
in the Ozark hills, beneath the pines in Arkansas.
Blossoms of white on apple trees, mockingbirds singing just
for me,
the air is clean for me to breath in Arkansas.
Her great mountains are her brain.
Well great rivers are her veins
that flow across the plains through cotton fields and golden
grain.
Arkansas
waltz, we'll waltz tonight beneath the Ozark moon so bright.
I'll waltz with you and hold you tight this lovely night
(spoken)
Her great mountains, lakes and industry
You've earned your fame, land of opportunity
Eight wonders you give, I'm happy to live in Arkansas.
Seems like your skies are brighter blue
and your friends are warm and true
I'm sure that God has chosen you, my Arkansas.
Your teams win in almost every game.
Those Hogs and Indians are tough to tame.
When you hear the call,
they've got the ball.
That's Arkansas.
(sung)
Her great mountains are her brain.
Well great rivers are her veins
that flow across the plains through cotton fields and golden
grain.
Arkansas
waltz, we'll waltz tonight beneath the Ozark moon so bright.
I'll waltz with you in Arkansas
again tonight.
A simplified score:
Jones sings this with a strong bass voice in the key of E flat. I have converted it to the key of F since most folks don't have a strong bass voice. The original is not quite as repetitive as this but the differences are subtle variations within those three consecutive eighth notes which are, incidentally, swung - not played at constant rhythm as shown in the score. I suggest you make up your own variations.
According to netstate.com, in 1982, the Arizona state legislature passed house bill 2300 to name Arizona, a waltz by Rex Allen, Jr., as the alternate state anthem. One wonders if they considered Arizona Waltz made famous by Rex Allen, Jr.'s father, Rex Allen as an alternative alternate state anthem. These two tunes are featured below.
Arizona Waltz - Rex Allen
Arizona - Rex Allen, Jr.
Legend has it that the elder Rex Allen (1920-1999) wrote the words and music of Arizona Waltz when he was fourteen years old - a significant accomplishment since for a country waltz, it has some musical sophistication and can be a challenge to sing. It made its big public debut when it was sung by Rex in the 1950 movie, Arizona Cowboy. Interestingly, the IMDb soundtrack summary for Arizona Cowboy indicates that Arizona Waltz was written by Robert Allen (1928-2000) not Rex Allen (it does credit Rex for writing the song I was born in Arizona which appeared in the same movie). The original sheet music indicates that Rex Allen wrote the words and music. If someone reading this blog has definitive knowledge which R. Allen wrote the song, I hope they will comment. The song has been recorded by many singers and is a country waltz standard but I don't think anyone has surpassed the original featured above.
There is no question that Rex Allen, Jr wrote Arizona, sometimes known as I Love You Arizona. He tells the story in this video. He asked his dad if he had any unrecorded Arizona song he could use in a new album and his dad told him to "go write your own damn song." So he did, in thirty minutes. Probably the most productive thirty minutes of his life. Many have covered this song since it was made the official alternate state song - two of my favorites are by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and by the Chandler's Children's Choir. Again, it is difficult to find a version better than that sung by the composer.
The Allen's remain significant emblems of Arizona as evidenced by the 66th annual celebration of Rex Allen Days which is being held this very weekend in Wilcox, Arizona. I would be willing to bet that both of these songs were heard this weekend.
Lyrics and music:
Arizona Waltz
Hold me closer in your arms
And dance the Arizona Waltz
While the songbirds sing a sweet melody
Hold me closer in your arm
And dance the Arizona Waltz
I'm in heaven when you dance with me
And when the lights are low
I'll steal a kiss
Just like I always do
Hold me closer in your arms
And dance the Arizona Waltz
I'm in heaven when I waltz with you
Arizona
I love you, Arizona;
Your mountains, deserts and streams;
The rise of Dos Cabezas
And the outlaws I see in my dreams;
I love you Arizona,
Superstitions and all;
The warmth you give at sunrise;
Your sunsets put music in us all.
Oo, Arizona;
You're the magic in me;
Oo, Arizona,
You're the life-blood of me;
I love you Arizona;
Desert dust on the wind;
The sage and cactus are blooming,
And the smell of the rain on your skin.
Oo, Arizona;
You're the magic in me;
Oo, Arizona,
You're the life-blood of me;
A related personal recollection for those who have persisted to the end of this blog.
I grew up in a small Texas town and was nine years old when Arizona Cowboy made it to the movie theaters. I was a big fan of all cowboy movies, including those of Rex Allen. I don't recall seeing Arizona Cowboy but I would be surprised if I missed it. We had three movie theaters in town - the Strand, the Bengal and the Royal. The Strand showed the "big" movies like Cinderella and Father of the Bride; the Bengal showed the old comedies, eg. Abbot and Costello, and the horror movies; the Royal showed the Westerns. Almost every Saturday, my best friend and neighbor, Jimmy Ramsey, and I would ride our bikes to town and pay nine cents to get into the Royal to see whatever Western was on offer. Eventually, we were lured away by the Saturday morning "Kiddie Show" double feature at the Strand for twenty-five cents but I missed the Royal even then. I still get nostalgic for those Westerns - a feeling wonderfully captured in the Eric Bogle tune, Front Row Cowboy.
