| Down Yonder | |
| Cover: | DownYonderCoverProfessorBillJolson.jpg |
| Caption: | Sheet music cover, 1921 |
| Published: | 1921 |
Down Yonder is a popular American song with music and lyrics by L. Wolfe Gilbert. It was first published in 1921, and was introduced in the same year at the Orpheum Theater, New Orleans.[1]
Gilbert had written the lyrics for the 1912 song "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" (for which Lewis F. Muir wrote the music). In "Down Yonder," Gilbert brought back four of the characters from the earlier song — Daddy, Mammy, Ephram and Sammy. However, the lyrics of "Down Yonder" are seldom heard because the song has usually been performed as an instrumental, especially on the piano or organ.
"Down Yonder" is an expression meaning "down there" in a geographic sense, referring to a place that is considerably lower in elevation or farther south.[2] In the sense of the song's lyrics, it means "in the American South."
Recordings by Ernest Hare & Billy Jones, and by the Peerless Quartet were very popular in 1921.[3]
In 1934, the instrumental version by Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.[4]
Versions that charted in 1951 included those by Del Wood, Joe "Fingers" Carr, Champ Butler, Lawrence (Piano Roll) Cook, the Freddy Martin orchestra, by the Frank Petty Trio, and Ethel Smith.
| Del Wood | Tennessee Records 775 | 8/24/51 | 25 | 4 | |
| Joe "Fingers" Carr | Capitol Records 1777 | 10/12/51 | 17 | 14 | |
| Champ Butler | Columbia Records 39533 | 9/21/51 | 16 | 18 | |
| Lawrence (Piano Roll) Cook | Abbey Records 15053 | 9/21/51 | 2 | 23 | |
| Freddy Martin | RCA Victor Records 20-4267 | 10/12/51 | 4 | 24 | |
| Frank Petty Trio | MGM Records 11057 | 11/9 | 1 | 26 | |
| Ethel Smith (Juke Box chart)[6] | King Records 986 | 10/27 | 1 | 16 |
. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 . Joel Whitburn . 2013 . Record Research . 438.