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Gone Fishin' is a song written by Nick and Charles Kenny.

Background

The song had been published in 1950 and was recorded by Arthur Godfrey, The Three Suns with Texas Jim Robertson, and by the Johnny Guarnieri Quintet in 1950. None of these recordings charted. The version by The Three Suns with Texas Jim Robertson, became the theme song for the TV show "American Sportsman" featuring Harold Ensley, which ran for 48 years on Television.

Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong recording

In 1951, "Gone Fishin'" was recorded by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong. The Crosby recording came about when the singer had Armstrong as a guest on his radio show which was being taped on April 19, 1951 for broadcast on April 25 that year. As was customary, the songs to be used in the broadcast were taped in advance as a back-up in case the live broadcast versions did not go well. The song was so well received that Decca Records decided to issue the pre-recording commercially and it charted briefly in June 1951 with a peak position of #19. Crosby used the song in his concert performances in 1976 singing it with comedian Ted Rogers. The duet with Louis Armstrong is still heard frequently on radio.

Later recordings

The song was later recorded by:

• Pat Boone recorded it for his Yes Indeed! LP (1958)
• Gene Autry
• The Manhattan Transfer.

References

1. "The Billboard". June 3, 1950. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. "The Billboard". July 1, 1950. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. "The Billboard". July 22, 1950. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. Karen S. Welborn (April 19, 2006). "Gone fishin' instead of just a-wishin'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
5. Jim McElhatton (Nov 3, 2002). "Quite a Character". The Press of Atlantic City.
6. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
7. Macfarlane, Malcolm (2008). "Bing Crosby - Through the Years". Sleeve Notes for CD. Two - 1951.
8. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 112. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
9. "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
10. "The Best Fishing Songs of All Time - 15. Bing Crosby/Louis Armstrong (1951)- Gone Fishin'". Outdoor Life. Bonnier Corp. April 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2011.

• Louis Armstrong songs
• Bing Crosby songs
• 1951 songs
• Songs with lyrics by Charles Kenny
• Songs with lyrics by Nick Kenny (poet)