Running Bear
1959
Running Bear is a popular music piece from the spring by the American JP Richardson. The first recording was made in the autumn of 1958 by singer Johnny Preston. 1959, published plate in first place on the Billboard Hot 100 in the following year
The original
Jiles Perry Richardson ( born 1930 ) began from 1957 pop songs to write and to compose after he had previously done as a radio presenter and singer a name. With the song Chantilly Lace, which was published under his pseudonym The Big Bopper, he had come into the U.S. top 40 in 1957. After Richardson was was involved with his record company Mercury as a producer, he learned on the lookout for new talented singers in 1958 know the 19 -year-old Johnny Preston, where he soon signed a contract with Mercury gave. First Preston muffed the first studio recordings by his stage fright, then tried it with the Richardson texted and he composed song Running Bear.
In the 2:33 minutes long, written in foxtrot rhythm play is about the tragic love between the Indian pair of Running Bear and Little White Dove ( Ellender Bear and Little White Dove ). Both not only their separate each warring tribes, but also the rapid river, on whose banks they face each other. The situation is hopeless ( "their love Could never be " ), and so they plunge into the foaming waters, where they are drawn down into the happy hunting grounds, and only there find their happiness.
The title was produced in the fall of 1958 at the Gold Star Studio in Houston. Manager was Bill Hall, the background music provided the studio band with saxophonist Link Davis, guitarist Hal Harris and Doc Lewis on piano and Buck Henson on drums. Richardson, Hall and George Jones took care of the Indian sound. Richardson saw the publication of the plate no longer, for he was born on February 3, 1959 in a plane crash. On July 6, 1959 Mercury released the single Running Bear with My Heart Knows B- side under the catalog no. 71474th On October 12, 1959, Billboard magazine Running Bear listed first in the Hot 100, where the title number 83 reached. After three weeks, Preston again fell off the charts out, but celebrated November 23, a comeback and eventually stood at January 18, 1960 for the first time at number one on the Hot 100 There, Running Bear could hold for three weeks. Overall, the Indian song placed 25 weeks among the 100 best singles.
Also in the UK and Germany Johnny Preston Running Bear was successful. In both countries, the single was also sold with the My Heart Knows B-side, in the UK under the catalog no. . In Britain stood Running Bear AMT in 1079 and in Germany under 21406 in March 1960 for two weeks in New Musical Express in the first place, while it was only enough to rank 36 in Germany.
Cover versions
USA
Also published in 1959, the New York record company Bell under catalog no. 133 Running Bear a version with the still unknown singer Mark Devon. The plate One Minute More with the B-side emergency, sung by Lee Bennett also remained largely unnoticed. More successful was the American Country singer Sonny James, who in 1969 once again brought his single version ( Capitol Records No 2486 ) by Running Bear in the U.S. charts and even reached number one on the country charts.
Published in 1962 a version of country singer George Jones on his LP The New Favorites of George Jones (Cat. No. 3193 ). Other album tracks with Running Bear appeared in 1975 with Danny Davis ( Dream Country ) and in 1983 with Stiff Little Fingers ( All the Best ).
Germany
In Germany the local record companies have been published since the mid-1950s German -language cover versions of foreign bestsellers success. In May 1960, Polydor released the German adaptation of Running Bear, entitled Brown Bear and White Dove sung by the American vocalist Gus Backus. The single was released under No. 24250 and with the Blue Boy B-side, also sung by Backus. Producer was Gerhard Mendelson, the text had Hans Bradtke written and the playback provided the orchestra Johannes Fehring. Unlike the original Bradtke gave the story a happy ending ". , And so he remained forever with her white dove was all his fortune " No warring tribes, the river dries up, brown bear walks over for Gus Backus was the title for the first major success. On September 10, 1960, the Brown Bear was first noted by the music market in the Top 50, reached 16th place listing the top and held a total of 27 weeks in the Top 50 in 2007 took the Cagey Strings brown bear and white dove in her CD 25 years Rock'N'Roll Oldies and Rarities on.