Auctioneer

Auctioneer is the title of a published Leroy Van Dyke Country Songs in 1956, which, being a million seller the most successful titles of country music.

Genesis

Leroy Van Dyke had studied agriculture at the University of Missouri and graduated with a double major animal breeding and journalism. In addition, he worked as Viehauktionator modeled after his uncle Ray Sims of the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame. He went after a newspaper, where he worked on agricultural issues as an editor and so both skills could use combined. In 1951, Van Dyke was even auctioneer.

The activities of his uncle inspired Van Dyke finally the song Auctioneer. Herein he parodies the extremely fast language American Viehauktionatoren. You can hear an auctioneer, who confirmed the commandments of the audience and asking it to further bids. To the Auktionärssprache a text is placed over a high school boy who is interested in auctions and therefore later auctioneer himself, after he was allowed to visit the Auktionärsschule.

He sang the part at Van Dykes military affiliation incurred in Korea song for the first time in early 1956 in a talent competition of the radio station WSM Chicago. Here worked the disc jockey Buddy Black and seized the opportunity to act as manager of the completely unknown Leroy Van Dyke. The inexperienced Van Dyke signed a contract, the Buddy Black unlawfully half of the authors royalties conceded without Black thereto had intellectual content. In the professional world is this method that gereichte many authors to the detriment, "cut -in" called.

Recording and publication

The title was created in Van Dykes first ever recording session in September 1956 at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago. In addition to the Auctioneer yet another title was added to this session only, namely the one used as a B- side I Fell in Love With a pony -tail. Except for the guitarist Andy Nelson is on the further musical accompaniment by Van Dyke unknown. The single Auctioneer / I Fell in Love With a Pony Tail was released in October 1956 ( Dot # 15503 ). It arrived on 5 January 1957 in the country music charts, where it penetrated up to ninth. With a 19th place in the pop charts, the song also proved to be an average crossover hit. The rankings in both charts did not reflect the tremendous sales success of the title, for a total of nearly three million copies have been sold thereof. Already within three months after the publication of a million had been sold.

Four subsequent singles for Dot Records were unsuccessful, but the second single from Van Dykes new label Mercury Records Walk on By, developed in 1961 for another million seller for Van Dyke.

Statistics and cover versions

The title Auctioneer is one of 15 copyright registered with BMI compositions by Van Dyke. It is not surprising that the successful song was only gecovert six times since the passages with the fast Auktionärssprache were imitated only for a few interpreters. Country singer Chuck Miller took on the title in October 1956 in the same studio as Leroy Van Dyke and was able after publication in November 1956 reached rank 59 of the pop charts. The other versions of the Lynn Anderson (1969 ), Steve Goodman ( 1973), Gordon Lightfoot (1980 ), Joan Baez (1993) and Clifton Jansky (1999) did not reach the charts.

Van Dyke, Tex Ritter and Faron Young in the enriched with 13 country songs movie What Am I Bid? to see about life on farms and cattle auctions, which was released in theaters on July 26, 1967. Among them is the song Auctioneer. The film's title is a quote from the song Auctioneer. He was a long time the best-selling country singles.

Leroy Van Dyke was inducted into the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame in 1996.