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"Sleepy-Eyed John" is a song that was a million-selling hit for Johnny Horton in 1961.

Overview

Written by left-handed fiddle player Tex Atchison, the song was first recorded in a Western swing style by Ole Rasmussen for Capitol Records in 1950, when Atchison played in Rasmussen's band, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as they toured California. Billboard reviewed the 10-inch 78 rpm single, calling it a "real toe-tapper" appropriate for square dancing, with a "pert" vocal performance by Ted Wilds. Atchison may have based the song on a traditional Kentucky bluegrass tune known as "Get Up, John" or "Sleepy John".

The song's name was taken as the moniker of radio disc jockey John Lepley, who went by Sleepy-Eyed John. In the mid-1950s, Lepley held down the afternoon slot at Memphis station WHHM, and he promoted musical acts at a local entertainment complex called Clearpool, featuring Western swing bands at the Eagle's Nest stage. Lepley booked Elvis Presley to perform in 1954 – these early appearances helped Presley establish a fan base and his personal style.

Atchison's song saw its biggest success with Johnny Horton. Aided by a famous B-side – Horton's version of Hank Williams' "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" – the 45 rpm record debuted on Billboard's Country and Western chart in late April 1961, rising to number 9, and staying on the chart for eight weeks.

A few months later, expatriate Tennessee country singer Johnny Duncan released a single of "Sleepy-Eyed John" on the Pye label in the UK, backed by his veteran UK band, the Blue Grass Boys. The flipside was another Atchison/Rasmussen tune: "I'm Still Bettin' on Love".

In 1972, the song was recorded by the Norwegian bluegrass group Christiania Fusel & Blaagress. The lyrics were translated into the Norwegian language to describe an eccentric villager with a wooden leg.

In the late 1990s, Bear Family Records issued a retrospective set of Rasmussen songs on Compact disc, the set titled Sleepy-Eyed John. The recordings were made during 1950–1952 when Rasmussen was signed to Capitol Records.

References

1. ^ "Song: Sleepy-Eyed John". Second Hand Songs. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
2. Gerald F. Vaughn (1982). "Tex Atchison: Fancy Fiddling and Fancy Singing". JEMF Quarterly. 18. John Edwards Memorial Foundation: 151–54.
3. "Tex Atchison | Biography & History". AllMusic.
4. "78 Record: Ole Rasmussen And His Nebraska Cornhuskers - Sleepy Eyed John (1950)" – via www.45worlds.com.
5. Staff (July 1, 1950). "Record Reviews". Billboard. p. 104. ISSN 0006-2510.
6. Charles K. Wolfe (2015). Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. p. 59. ISBN 9780813149608.
7. Neil V. Rosenberg; Charles K. Wolfe (2007). The Music of Bill Monroe. University of Illinois Press. p. 93. ISBN 9780252031212.
8. "Special Elvis Collectibles at the Last Auction at Graceland – Elvis Presley". 25 April 2018.
9. Joel Whitburn (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts: The 1960s. Hal Leonard. p. 183. ISBN 9780898201758.
10. "Johnny Duncan And The Blue Grass Boys - Sleepy-Eyed John" – via www.45cat.com.
11. "1. juni 1975". 30 November 2015 – via tv.nrk.no.
12. Family, Bear. "Ole Rasmussen CD: Sleepy Eyed John". Bear Family Records.

• 1950 singles
• 1961 singles
• Bluegrass songs
• Capitol Records singles
• Columbia Records singles
• Johnny Horton songs
• Pye Records singles
• Western swing songs