Mister and Mississippi
Encyclopedia
"Mister and Mississippi" is a popular
song
, written by Irving Gordon
. It was published in 1951
. The song was popularized by Patti Page
. It was also recorded by Rex Allen
, Dennis Day
and Johnny Desmond
.
The Page recording was issued by Mercury Records
as catalog number
5645, and first reached the Billboard chart on May 19, 1951, lasting 15 weeks and peaking at #8.
The recording by Dennis Day
was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 47-4140. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 1, 1951 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at #15.
On Cash Box magazine
's charts, where all versions were combined, the song peaked at #6 on the chart.
The popularity of this song apparently led Gordon, a number of years later, to create another song with even more puns on state
names: "Delaware
."
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, written by Irving Gordon
Irving Gordon
Irving Gordon was an American songwriter.-Biography:Irving Gordon was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a child, he studied violin, and after attending public schools in New York City, went to work in the Catskill Mountains at some of the resort hotels in the area...
. It was published in 1951
1951 in music
-Events:*January 29 – Nilla Pizzi wins the first annual Sanremo Music Festival with "Grazie dei fiori".*February – The first complete performance of Charles Ives's Second Symphony is given in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.*March – Alan...
. The song was popularized by Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
. It was also recorded by Rex Allen
Rex Allen
Rex Elvie Allen was an American film actor, singer and songwriter, known as the Arizona Cowboy, particularly known as the narrator in many Disney nature and Western film productions. For contributions to the recording industry, Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Family...
, Dennis Day
Dennis Day
Dennis Day born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty, was an Irish-American singer and radio, television and film personality.-Early life:...
and Johnny Desmond
Johnny Desmond
Johnny Desmond , born Giovanni Alfredo De Simone, was a popular American singer.-Early years:...
.
The Page recording was issued by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
5645, and first reached the Billboard chart on May 19, 1951, lasting 15 weeks and peaking at #8.
The recording by Dennis Day
Dennis Day
Dennis Day born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty, was an Irish-American singer and radio, television and film personality.-Early life:...
was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 47-4140. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 1, 1951 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at #15.
On Cash Box magazine
Cash Box magazine
Cashbox magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996...
's charts, where all versions were combined, the song peaked at #6 on the chart.
The popularity of this song apparently led Gordon, a number of years later, to create another song with even more puns on state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
names: "Delaware
Delaware (song)
"Delaware" is a popular song, written by Irving Gordon. The song was published in 1959 and has references to 15 States, in such fashion as: "Where has Oregon, boy?" and "Why did Cali-phone ya?"...
."