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Regional anthem of Oklahoma | |
| Lyrics | Woody Guthrie, 1945 |
|---|---|
| Music | Jack Guthrie, 1945 |
| Adopted | 2001 |
"Oklahoma Hills" is a song written by Woody Guthrie. In 2001 it was named the official Folk Song of the state of Oklahoma.
Jack Guthrie, Woody's cousin, changed the lyrics and music slightly and in 1945 recorded a Western swing version, which reached Number 1 on the Juke Box Folk Records charts. [1] It remains the best-known version of "Oklahoma Hills", and was the biggest hit of Jack Guthrie's fairly short life. Though Woody originated the song, the official Woody Guthrie website credits both him and Jack as its writers, perhaps because Jack's changes have become so well known.
Recordings of "Oklahoma Hills" have been made by these singers, among others:
Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. [3] In 2001, the Oklahoma Legislature declared it to be the official state folk song.
Leon Jerry "Jack" Guthrie was an American songwriter and performer whose rewritten version of the Woody Guthrie song "Oklahoma Hills" was a hit in 1945. The two musicians were cousins.
"Goodnight, Irene" or "Irene, Goodnight," is a 20th-century American folk standard, written in 3
4 time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1933. A version recorded by the Weavers was a #1 hit in 1950.
While the music of Oklahoma is relatively young, Oklahoma has been a state for just over 100 years, and it has a rich history and many fine and influential musicians.
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