Walk On By (Leroy Van Dyke song)

Walk on By is the title of a country song. It was written by Kendall L. Hayes and held in 1961 in the version of country singer Leroy Van Dyke 19 weeks at number one of the country singles charts.

Genesis

From the first recording session of the Country singer Leroy Van Dyke from September 1956 until then be most successful titles Auctioneer showed a Viehauktionator. Due to the enormous sales success of three million copies Van Dyke had become famous right away. But not succeeded his record company Dot Records, nachzuschieben a similarly successful hit. Five more singles followed, until Van Dyke was brought to Mercury Records in early 1961 by Shelby Singleton.

Walk on By should be the second single from Mercury. Van Dyke was a demo tape of Walk on By at the music publisher Lowery Music in Nashville office. Meanwhile, office manager Gary Walker held the song unfinished, but Van Dyke chose the Kendall L. Hayes (1936 - 1995) written song. Hayes worked at that time as an accountant. There was a second verse, and Walker, she wrote the same evening. After easily change the chorus a song about love for a married woman who is to remain hidden from the public was born. They meet outside the city and do so as if you do not know.

Recording and publication

Under-production directed by Shelby Singleton the song on May 12, 1961, recorded in Nashville. Van Dykes accompaniment consisted of Hank " Sugarfoot " Garland ( guitar), Jerry Kennedy and Kelso Herston (guitar), Hargus " Pig" Robbins ( piano ), Buddy Killen and Harold Bradley ( bass), Willie Ackerman (drums) and Margie Singleton ( the wife of the producer ) in the accompanying choir. Mercury initially wanted to prefer the B-side My World Is Cavin ' in, then decided, at the urging of Van Dyke for Walk on By the A-side. It is the arrangement and staffing in the studio to a typical production of the Nashville sound, a mix of country music and pop music.

The single was released in August 1961 ( Mercury # 71834 ) on the market and increased on 4 September 1961 in the Country singles chart in which it was ranked one for 19 weeks from September 25. The piece also developed the successful crossover title with a fifth place in the pop charts. The piece provided for a country song of that time with an unusual text with the distinctive guitar playing of Hank Garland became a standard of country music. Shortly after the publication of the plate Garland suffered in September 1961 a momentous car accident that ended his career.

Statistics and cover versions

According to the BMI author Hayes has only logged 50 compositions, of which Walk on By received a BMI Award. Overall, there are at least 150 versions of the sold 1.5 million copies of one of the most successful country hits. Van Dyke itself estimates a turnover of three million copies. Van Dyke in 1961 ' not over sung under the title go a German language version, adopted in the same year of Rex Gildo. The original English version of Van Dyke came in June 1962 to rank 14 in the German music charts. The wife of the producer, Margie Singleton, in September 1962 brought a response song with the title I'll Just Walk on By. Donna Fargo coverte the song in 1980. The version reached # 43 of the country singles charts. Another cover version from 1988 by Asleep at the Wheel reached there place 55

Billboard Magazine has Walk on By selected in its anniversary issue dated 1 November 1994 ( 100th anniversary ) for the most country hit between 20 October 1958 and 25 June 1994, based on sales, airplay and retention the hit parade.