The waltz is often associated with U.S. President Harry S. Truman, a native of Missouri, because it was played at almost every appearance he made in his 1948 Presidential campaign. In June, 1949, after Truman's election as President, the Missouri General Assembly voted to make Missouri Waltz their official state song. It is also associated with a second U.S. President, Richard M. Nixon, because it is one of the songs that he enjoyed playing on the piano. You can see him playing it in 1959, while he was Vice President, with comedian Jack Benny in the video below.
In 1969, when the Truman Presidential Library was officially opened, then President Richard Nixon traveled to the Library and played Missouri Waltz for Truman and his wife. While video of the occasion does exist, it is, sadly, silent. You will see Nixon sit down at the piano at about 1'15" in this video.
But Missouri Waltz is not contemporary with Truman. It was first published privately as a piano solo around 1912 by Frederick Knight Logan. Logan listed himself as the arranger, not the composer. Logan was from Missouri but worked for many years as a musical director of Broadway productions. He was also a composer with a fondness for waltzes (you can find scores for many of them here). Early versions of the sheet music say "from an original melody procured by John Valentine Eppel" (see the version from the Levy Sheet Music Collection) although later editions changed "procured" to "produced" (see the version from the Duke Library Collection) and by 1940, most editions just said "original melody by John Valentine Eppel" (see for example the 1941 version published by Forster Music). It is generally, but not universally, agreed that Eppel "procured" the melody from a Missouri ragtime pianist named Lee Edgar Settle - a "fact" that is carved in stone on Settle's tombstone. Whether Settle created the melody or "procured" it elsewhere is a matter of speculation - speculation which will be left John C. Fisher's book, Catfish, Fiddles, Mules and More: Missouri's State Symbols which covers it well. Logan's original arrangement of Missouri Waltz had no lyrics and sounded like this:
In 1914, Logan sold the rights to F.J.A. Forster of Chicago. Forster hired James Royce Shannon to provide lyrics. Shannon was a Tin Pan Alley musician who in 1913 had composed words and music for the number one hit of the time, Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral - That's an Irish Melody. Shannon was born and raised in Michigan and probably never visited Missouri. Although minstrel shows were no longer a professional entertainment vehicle in the early twentieth century, Shannon chose to adopt many minstrel tropes into his lyrics. Many of those tropes can be traced directly to Harriet Beecher Stowes famous book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The full original lyrics are:
Hush-a-bye, ma baby, slumbertime is comin' soon;
Rest yo' head upon my chest while Mammy hums a tune;
The sandman is callin' where shadows are fallin',
While the soft breezes sigh as in days long gone by.
Rest yo' head upon my chest while Mammy hums a tune;
The sandman is callin' where shadows are fallin',
While the soft breezes sigh as in days long gone by.
Way down in Missouri where I heard this melody,
When I was a Pickaninny on ma Mammy's knee;
The darkies were hummin'; their banjos were strummin';
So sweet and low.
When I was a Pickaninny on ma Mammy's knee;
The darkies were hummin'; their banjos were strummin';
So sweet and low.
Strum, strum, strum, strum, strum,
Seems I hear those banjos playin' once again,
Hum, hum, hum, hum, hum,
That same old plaintive strain.
Seems I hear those banjos playin' once again,
Hum, hum, hum, hum, hum,
That same old plaintive strain.
Hear that mournful melody,
It just haunts you the whole day long,
And you wander in dreams back to Dixie, it seems,
When you hear that old time song.
It just haunts you the whole day long,
And you wander in dreams back to Dixie, it seems,
When you hear that old time song.
Hush-a-bye ma baby, go to sleep on Mammy's knee,
Journey back to Dixieland in dreams again with me;
It seems like your Mammy was there once again,
And the darkies were strummin' that same old refrain.
Journey back to Dixieland in dreams again with me;
It seems like your Mammy was there once again,
And the darkies were strummin' that same old refrain.
Way down in Missouri where I learned this lullaby,
When the stars were blinkin' and the moon was climbin' high,
And I hear Mammy Cloe, as in days long ago,
Singin' hush-a-bye.
When the stars were blinkin' and the moon was climbin' high,
And I hear Mammy Cloe, as in days long ago,
Singin' hush-a-bye.
These are the lyrics heard in one of the earliest recording of the song - a 1918, Edison Blue Amerol cylinder recording, #3454, which featured the singing of Marion Cox and Vernon Dalhart (who went on to be one of the first country music stars):
There is an even earlier recording, 1916, also on an Edison Blue Amerol cylinder, #2950. It is an instrumental version performed by Eugene Jaudas' Society Orchestra, which was Edison's studio band:
Missouri Waltz received another burst of popularity in 1939, when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced to the song in the movie, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle. Several artists recorded new versions of Missouri Waltz at that time including Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and his orchestra on Brunswick E02809-B.
The song continued to be a standard in the repertoire of dance bands although increasingly, people - reportedly including Harry Truman, found the lyrics to be racially insensitive. Perhaps the last recorded version to use the original lyrics was the 1946 version by Eddie Howard and his orchestra:
That same year, 1946, the Fontaine Sisters released a version with modified lyrics - "pickaninny" became "little babe" and "darkies" became "folks."
In 1947, Gene Autry sang "little tot" and "old folks"; in 1948, Perry Como sang "little boy" and "old folks"; and when the Missouri legislature debated making Missouri Waltz the state song in 1949, James Neal,one of the four black members of the Missouri legislature, proposed that the words "pickaninny, mammy and darkies" be replaced by the words "little child, mommy and old folks." From that point forward the lyrics for the Missouri State Song became:
That same year, 1946, the Fontaine Sisters released a version with modified lyrics - "pickaninny" became "little babe" and "darkies" became "folks."
In 1947, Gene Autry sang "little tot" and "old folks"; in 1948, Perry Como sang "little boy" and "old folks"; and when the Missouri legislature debated making Missouri Waltz the state song in 1949, James Neal,one of the four black members of the Missouri legislature, proposed that the words "pickaninny, mammy and darkies" be replaced by the words "little child, mommy and old folks." From that point forward the lyrics for the Missouri State Song became:
Hush-a-bye, ma baby, slumbertime is comin' soon;
Rest yo' head upon my breast while Mommy hums a tune;
The sandman is callin' where shadows are fallin',
While the soft breezes sigh as in days long gone by.
Rest yo' head upon my breast while Mommy hums a tune;
The sandman is callin' where shadows are fallin',
While the soft breezes sigh as in days long gone by.
Way down in Missouri where I heard this melody,
When I was a little child upon my Mommy's knee;
The old folks were hummin'; their banjos were strummin';
So sweet and low.
When I was a little child upon my Mommy's knee;
The old folks were hummin'; their banjos were strummin';
So sweet and low.
Strum, strum, strum, strum, strum,
Seems I hear those banjos playin' once again,
Hum, hum, hum, hum, hum,
That same old plaintive strain.
Seems I hear those banjos playin' once again,
Hum, hum, hum, hum, hum,
That same old plaintive strain.
Hear that mournful melody,
It just haunts you the whole day long,
And you wander in dreams back to Dixie, it seems,
When you hear that old time song.
It just haunts you the whole day long,
And you wander in dreams back to Dixie, it seems,
When you hear that old time song.
Hush-a-bye ma baby, go to sleep on Mommy's knee,
Journey back to Dixieland in dreams again with me;
It seems like your Mommy is there once again,
And the old folks were strummin' that same old refrain.
Journey back to Dixieland in dreams again with me;
It seems like your Mommy is there once again,
And the old folks were strummin' that same old refrain.
Way down in Missouri where I learned this lullaby,
When the stars were blinkin' and the moon was climbin' high,
Seems I hear voices low, as in days long ago,
Singin' hush-a-bye.
When the stars were blinkin' and the moon was climbin' high,
Seems I hear voices low, as in days long ago,
Singin' hush-a-bye.
Today there are countless versions of the Missouri Waltz first captured by Frederick Knight Logan. What is today's most watched version of Missouri Waltz on YouTube? It is a sparse, guitar and vocal rendition recorded, probably in 1973 by Johnny Cash. It was never released on a commercial record but is part of a "bootleg collection" released in the 2006 album, Personal File:
As a last reference to Logan's Missouri Waltz, the 2010 move, Winter's Bone, very effectively used an a capella version of Missouri Waltz under the opening credits. It is sung by Marideth Sisco, who grew up in the Ozark highlands of Missouri and brings a country, some might say hillbilly, authenticity to the song as a lullaby. A listen is highly recommended.
As a last reference to Logan's Missouri Waltz, the 2010 move, Winter's Bone, very effectively used an a capella version of Missouri Waltz under the opening credits. It is sung by Marideth Sisco, who grew up in the Ozark highlands of Missouri and brings a country, some might say hillbilly, authenticity to the song as a lullaby. A listen is highly recommended.
Logan's Missouri Waltz is by far the most famous but it was not the first or last Missouri waltz. The earliest Missouri Waltz found dates to 1850. It was composed by C.H. Weber and a copy of the original sheet music is available in the Notated Music Collection of the U.S. Library of Congress. A computer generated transcription of the piece can be heard below.
Sheet music for two other nineteenth century Missouri waltzes are available from the Library of Congress:
One of the joys of creating a blog like this is the discovery of new songs and new artists. Here's a gem discovered through Missouri waltzes - David Hakan. Haken is a singer-songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri and he has created one of the few 21st century Missouri waltzes. Titled The Missouri Waltz, it appears on his 2013 album, Out of Print. He has recorded at least nine other album (all available from bandcamp) and tours regularly. If you are lucky you might catch him on the road with his Gypsy Wagon Studio. If you do, be sure and ask him to sing The Missouri Waltz:
A second 21st century Missouri waltz is New Missouri Waltz recorded by Doug Gittings on his 2010 CD, Missouri Valley. Gittings was born in Rock Hill, Missouri and after travels and travails that read like a novel, he has returned to Missouri to the town of Clarksville where he founded the Missouri Music Hall. His New Missouri Waltz was recorded in that Hall:
Not included in this blog:
There are fewer examples of copyrighted songs which were never broadly published or recorded for Missouri than for other states - no doubt because of the dominant popularity of Logan's Missouri Waltz. There are a few however. Those listed below either have waltz in the title or are listed in the copyright as being waltzes. It is not easy to do a thorough copyright search so there are no doubt others.
Piney River Brewing Company of Bucyrus, Missouri brews "Missouri Waltz with Rasberries", a sour ale aged in Missouri oak barrels. For those keeping score, there is also a "Kentucky Waltz" beer.
There are two books with Missouri Waltz in the title:
Missouri Waltz: the inside story of the Pendergast machine by the man who smashed it, by Maurice M. Milligan.
Missouri Waltz: a novel of 1917, by Richard Dunk.
And, finally, a simplified score for those who want to create their own version of Missouri Waltz. The score is a rough transcription of the song as found in the 1918 Amberol recording by Cox and Dalhart. Many versions leave out the D minor section or the short instrumental bridge - both of which are in this transcription.
Return to the Introduction and Index for Waltz Across the States
Sheet music for two other nineteenth century Missouri waltzes are available from the Library of Congress:
- Missouri Alpha Waltz composed in 1874 by James W. Ripley.
- La Missouri Mazurka composed in 1877 by Edgar H. Sherwood
One of the joys of creating a blog like this is the discovery of new songs and new artists. Here's a gem discovered through Missouri waltzes - David Hakan. Haken is a singer-songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri and he has created one of the few 21st century Missouri waltzes. Titled The Missouri Waltz, it appears on his 2013 album, Out of Print. He has recorded at least nine other album (all available from bandcamp) and tours regularly. If you are lucky you might catch him on the road with his Gypsy Wagon Studio. If you do, be sure and ask him to sing The Missouri Waltz:
A second 21st century Missouri waltz is New Missouri Waltz recorded by Doug Gittings on his 2010 CD, Missouri Valley. Gittings was born in Rock Hill, Missouri and after travels and travails that read like a novel, he has returned to Missouri to the town of Clarksville where he founded the Missouri Music Hall. His New Missouri Waltz was recorded in that Hall:
Not included in this blog:
There are fewer examples of copyrighted songs which were never broadly published or recorded for Missouri than for other states - no doubt because of the dominant popularity of Logan's Missouri Waltz. There are a few however. Those listed below either have waltz in the title or are listed in the copyright as being waltzes. It is not easy to do a thorough copyright search so there are no doubt others.
- 1921, I'm Looking for That Man Who Wrote that Old Missouri Waltz, words and music copyrights to Jack Humphreys
- 1923, Dreamy Missouri, copyrights to L.F. Novack
- 1923, Take me back again to dear old mammy, she's my sweet Missouri rose, words and music copyrights to C. Eugene McClanahan
- 1924, Take me back to Old Missouri, words and music copyrithts to Walter C. Alheim
- 1944, Missouri Waltz Song, words and music copyrights to Leon Krickhaus
- 1947, The New Missouri Waltz, words and music copyrights to Eileen Susan Denen
- 1948, That Old Missouri Waltz, words and music copyrights to Elmer Newman
Piney River Brewing Company of Bucyrus, Missouri brews "Missouri Waltz with Rasberries", a sour ale aged in Missouri oak barrels. For those keeping score, there is also a "Kentucky Waltz" beer.
There are two books with Missouri Waltz in the title:
Missouri Waltz: the inside story of the Pendergast machine by the man who smashed it, by Maurice M. Milligan.
Missouri Waltz: a novel of 1917, by Richard Dunk.
And, finally, a simplified score for those who want to create their own version of Missouri Waltz. The score is a rough transcription of the song as found in the 1918 Amberol recording by Cox and Dalhart. Many versions leave out the D minor section or the short instrumental bridge - both of which are in this transcription.
Return to the Introduction and Index for Waltz Across the States
