"Bye Bye Blackbird" | |
---|---|
Song | |
Published | 1926 [1] |
Genre | Jazz |
Composer(s) | Ray Henderson |
Lyricist(s) | Mort Dixon |
"Bye Bye Blackbird" is a song published in 1926 [1] by Jerome H. Remick and written by composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra in March 1926. [2]
Popular recordings in 1926 were by Nick Lucas, Gene Austin, Benny Krueger, and by Leo Reisman. [3] It was the number 16 song of 1926 according to Pop Culture Madness. [4]
The song was featured in the 1955 movie musical Pete Kelly's Blues, sung by Peggy Lee in the role of alcoholic jazz singer Rose Hopkins. [5] [6]
In "Goodbye Nkrumah" (1966) Beat poet Diane Di Prima asks:
And yet, where would we be without the American culture
Bye bye blackbird, as Miles plays it, in the ’50s [7]
In 1982, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) posthumously awarded John Coltrane a "Best Jazz Solo Performance" Grammy for the work on his album Bye Bye Blackbird. [8]
Recordings of the song often include only the chorus; the verses are far less known. [9]
Segregationists opposed to the American Civil Rights Movement, notably at the Selma to Montgomery marches, played the song over loudspeakers as a taunt. [10]
In 1968, Joe Cocker recorded a cover of "Bye Bye Blackbird" that was included on his 1969 album With A Little Help From My Friends. Allmusic reviewer Matthew Greenwald described it as a "Classic Pop Gospel Ballad". [11]
Tiny Tim recorded the song with Brave Combo on what would be his final recording, [12] the 1996 album Girl. [13]
In 2011, Paul McCartney recorded a cover of "Bye Bye Blackbird" that was included on his 2012 album Kisses on the Bottom. [14]