Louisiana Fairy Tale

"Louisiana Fairy Tale"
Song
Released	1935 (1935)
Genre	Jazz
Composer(s)	Haven Gillespie
Lyricist(s)	Mitchell Parish, J. Fred Coots

"Louisiana Fairy Tale" (or "Louisiana Fairytale") is a song written in 1935 by Haven Gillespie, with lyrics by Mitchell Parish and J. Fred Coots, and was originally popularized by Fats Waller. ^{[1] [2]}

Waller's version opens with him playing a four-bar solo piano lead-in to a clarinet melody backed by drums, guitar, clarinet, trumpet and piano. A muted trumpet bridge precedes Waller's vocal verses, and a Dixieland-style improvisational instrumental jam closes the recording. ^[3]

The instrumental introduction was used as the theme for Austin City Limits from 1977 to 1981 (Seasons 2-6), and the original theme for the PBS television series This Old House from 1979 to 2002 (Seasons 1-23). ^{[4] [5]}

In 1990, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington presented Louisiana congresswoman Lindy Boggs with "three gifts" from the collection of the Library of Congress, including "a facsimile of sheet music for a 1935 piece, 'Louisiana Fairy Tale,' accompanied by a cassette of the music with Fats Waller on piano and vocal". ^[6]

In 2010, the song was part of a mid-week New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival event with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and My Morning Jacket, ^[7] where the entire piece was performed acoustically and without the use of electricity. ^[8]

The song has been performed by many artists, including Tom Sancton. ^[9]

References

1. Stephen Taylor (2006). Fats Waller on the air: the radio broadcasts and discography. Scarecrow Press Inc. p. 200. ISBN   9780810856561.
2. "Stories of Standards: "You Go to My Head"". KUVO . Retrieved July 22, 2020.
3. Dan Morgenstern (2004). Living with Jazz: A reader edited by Sheldon Meyer. Random House Digital. ISBN   9780307487605.
4. "This Old House - FAQs". Archived from the original on November 29, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
5. Thomas E. Ahr (1992). "Show and Tell". Cincinnati Magazine: 27.
6. "A "Dear Wife" Comes to Library Reception", Library of Congress Information Bulletin (1990), p. 336.
7. "My Morning Jacket at Preservation Hall - Louisiana Fairytale".
8. Tad Hendrickson (May 7, 2012). "Louisiana Fairytale by Jim James and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band | Song Stories". Rolling Stone . Retrieved July 18, 2013.
9. "Louisiana Fairytale - Tommy Sancton | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. December 25, 1999. Retrieved July 18, 2013.

External links

• Louisiana Digital Library recording of Fats Waller performing "Louisiana Fairy Tale"