Colorado

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.

The earliest recording of a waltz celebrating Colorado is the song titled Colorado written by Walter Hirsch (lyrics) and Harold Dellon (music).  It was quite popular at the time as evidenced by the availability of sheet music and the fact that it was recorded at least four times by four different artists on four different labels in 1924.  A copy of the Victor recording by the two tenors, Henry Burr and Albert Campbell, accompanied by an orchestra led by Rosario Bourdon has been preserved and is available from the "jukebox" at the U.S. Library of Congress or you can listen to it in the video below.

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's Colorado 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 composed Moonlight 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.

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California

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 missing waltzes:

Sharon's Gate California Waltz - not a waltz.  It is in 4/4 time.  Probably irony, not stupidity.

Gary Yaeger's California Waltz - a nice Swiss waltz from the 1880's but as the notes with the video state, its real name is unknown.

There are no doubt other California Waltzes, if you know of one please let me know or leave a comment below.

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To be added: Old California Waltz

Arkansas

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.

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Arizona

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.

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