Remember the Alamo (song)
Encyclopedia
"Remember the Alamo" is a song written by Texan
folk singer and songwriter
Jane Bowers
. Bowers details the last days of 180 soldiers at the Alamo
and names several famous figures who fought at the Alamo, including Mexican general Santa Anna and Texans: Jim Bowie
, William Barrett Travis and Davy Crockett
. It champions the Texans' efforts against Mexico to establish an independent republic.
Tex Ritter
first released the song as the b-side of "Gunsmoke" in 1955. It was the first song in the catalogue of his and Johnny Bond
's music company Vidor Publications. Ritter's recording was used in the film "Down Liberty Road" the following year. While the song was never a hit single and did not initially make a big impact on the folk community, it has since been covered by many important folk and country artists.
met Jane Bowers while playing shows in Austin, Texas
in the late 1950s. They went on to record several of her songs, including "Remember the Alamo". The song was released with slightly different lyrics on their 1959 album At Large
, which subsequently reached #1 on the Billboard pop album charts in the United States.
recorded "Remember the Alamo" with Tex Ritter's original lyrics. He also utilized different instrumentation from the Kingston Trio's version by adding a military drumbeat and lush backing vocals. The song was included on his 1963 compilation Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash
which also reached #1 in the United States.
singer-songwriter
Donovan recorded "Remember the Alamo" with a mix of both Kingston Trio revised lyrics and Tex Ritter's original lyrics in early 1965 for inclusion on his debut album What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
:
Although he had never visited the United States, Donovan was deeply interested in the American folk tradition. He stripped away all backing vocals, military drumbeats and militant guitar strumming and simply sang the song with an acoustic guitar as accompaniment. In early 1966, Donovan was still suffering from the legal battles between his original record label Pye Records
and his new label Epic Records
. During the dispute, Pye Records released "Josie
" without Donovan's approval and the single failed to chart. Not long after, Pye Records culled "Remember the Alamo" from What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid and prepared it for single release in the United Kingdom. The song was backed with "The Ballad of a Crystal Man" and released in April 1966 (Pye 7N 17088). The single was quickly withdrawn from the market not long after its release, ostensibly due to the ongoing contractual battles, and never charted.
and Wild Willy Barrett
recorded the song on their 1978 album Deep& Meaningless. The album was re-released in 2007. The version is a colourful one, with strangled singing, pounding drums and the sound of cannon. Unlike in other versions, the courier referred to in the third verse is a woman.
released its version of the song in 2003 on Asleep At The Wheel Remembers The Alamo. Since the early 1970s this group has performed big band Western swing
in the style of Bob Wills
and The Texas Playboys, and has a devoted following in the US and the UK as well. The song is part of a theme album about the Battle of The Alamo, and includes traditional tunes (Deguello
, The Yellow Rose of Texas
) and more recent whimsical songs (The Ballad of Davy Crockett
, Don't Go There). "Remember the Alamo" is sung by longtime frontman Ray Benson
, and the band performs the song in the traditional free and flowing Texas Swing style.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
folk singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Jane Bowers
Jane Bowers
Jane Bowers was a Texas folk singer and songwriter best known for her composition "Remember the Alamo". Many of her songs were primarily recorded by The Kingston Trio.-Selected songs:...
. Bowers details the last days of 180 soldiers at the Alamo
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
and names several famous figures who fought at the Alamo, including Mexican general Santa Anna and Texans: Jim Bowie
Jim Bowie
James "Jim" Bowie , a 19th-century American pioneer, slave trader, land speculator, and soldier, played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo...
, William Barrett Travis and Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
. It champions the Texans' efforts against Mexico to establish an independent republic.
Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
first released the song as the b-side of "Gunsmoke" in 1955. It was the first song in the catalogue of his and Johnny Bond
Johnny Bond
Cyrus Whitfield Bond , known professionally as Johnny Bond, was a popular American country music entertainer of the 1940s through the 1960s.-Biography:...
's music company Vidor Publications. Ritter's recording was used in the film "Down Liberty Road" the following year. While the song was never a hit single and did not initially make a big impact on the folk community, it has since been covered by many important folk and country artists.
The Kingston Trio's recording
The Kingston TrioThe Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
met Jane Bowers while playing shows in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in the late 1950s. They went on to record several of her songs, including "Remember the Alamo". The song was released with slightly different lyrics on their 1959 album At Large
At Large
In reviewing At Large for Allmusic, music critic Bruce Eder wrote the album "shows in the far more complex sound achieved by the trio throughout this album, with voices and instruments more closely interwoven than on their earlier studio recordings and achieving control over their volume that, even...
, which subsequently reached #1 on the Billboard pop album charts in the United States.
Johnny Cash's recording
In the early 1960s Johnny CashJohnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
recorded "Remember the Alamo" with Tex Ritter's original lyrics. He also utilized different instrumentation from the Kingston Trio's version by adding a military drumbeat and lush backing vocals. The song was included on his 1963 compilation Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash
Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash
Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash is a compilations album by country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1963 . This album collects tracks from singles and an EP released between 1959 and 1963, Cash's first years on the Columbia label. "Ring of Fire", one of Cash's most famous...
which also reached #1 in the United States.
Donovan's recording
ScottishScottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Donovan recorded "Remember the Alamo" with a mix of both Kingston Trio revised lyrics and Tex Ritter's original lyrics in early 1965 for inclusion on his debut album What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid
What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid is the debut album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United Kingdom four days after Donovan's 19th birthday on 14 May 1965, through Pye Records . Terry Kennedy, Peter Eden, and Geoff Stephens produced the album...
:
Although he had never visited the United States, Donovan was deeply interested in the American folk tradition. He stripped away all backing vocals, military drumbeats and militant guitar strumming and simply sang the song with an acoustic guitar as accompaniment. In early 1966, Donovan was still suffering from the legal battles between his original record label Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
and his new label Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. During the dispute, Pye Records released "Josie
Josie (Donovan song)
"Josie" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. The "Josie" single was backed with a cover of "The Little Tin Soldier" by Shawn Phillips and released in the United Kingdom on 18 February 1966 through Pye Records ....
" without Donovan's approval and the single failed to chart. Not long after, Pye Records culled "Remember the Alamo" from What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid and prepared it for single release in the United Kingdom. The song was backed with "The Ballad of a Crystal Man" and released in April 1966 (Pye 7N 17088). The single was quickly withdrawn from the market not long after its release, ostensibly due to the ongoing contractual battles, and never charted.
John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett's recording
British musicians John OtwayJohn Otway
John Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...
and Wild Willy Barrett
Wild Willy Barrett
Wild Willy Barrett is an English folk singer from Hemel Hempstead best known for his collaborations with John Otway. His musical style is witty and his humour onstage is dry. He is known for virtuoso fiddle playing, ability with a great number of stringed instruments, and playing slide guitar with...
recorded the song on their 1978 album Deep& Meaningless. The album was re-released in 2007. The version is a colourful one, with strangled singing, pounding drums and the sound of cannon. Unlike in other versions, the courier referred to in the third verse is a woman.
Asleep at the Wheel's recording
Texas Swing band Asleep at the WheelAsleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel is a American country music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, but based in Austin, Texas. Altogether, they have won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception. In their career, they have released more than twenty studio albums, and have charted more than twenty...
released its version of the song in 2003 on Asleep At The Wheel Remembers The Alamo. Since the early 1970s this group has performed big band Western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
in the style of Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
and The Texas Playboys, and has a devoted following in the US and the UK as well. The song is part of a theme album about the Battle of The Alamo, and includes traditional tunes (Deguello
El Degüello
El Degüello is a bugle call, notable in the US for its use as a march by Mexican Army buglers during the 1836 Siege and Battle of the Alamo. "Toque a Degüello" was introduced to the Americas by the Spanish armies and was later adopted by the patriot armies fighting against them during the Spanish...
, The Yellow Rose of Texas
The Yellow Rose of Texas
"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional folk song. The original love song has become associated with the legend of how an indentured servant named Emily Morgan "helped win the battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle in the Texas Revolution."...
) and more recent whimsical songs (The Ballad of Davy Crockett
The Ballad of Davy Crockett
"The Ballad of Davy Crockett" is a song with music by George Bruns and lyrics by Thomas W. Blackburn.The first recording of the song was made by Fess Parker, quickly followed by versions by Bill Hayes and Tennessee Ernie Ford...
, Don't Go There). "Remember the Alamo" is sung by longtime frontman Ray Benson
Ray Benson
Ray Benson is the front man of the Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel.In 1970, Benson, a Jewish native of Philadelphia, formed Asleep at the Wheel with friends Lucky Oceans and Leroy Preston. The group relocated to Austin in 1973 after a suggestion from Willie Nelson .Since then, the group has...
, and the band performs the song in the traditional free and flowing Texas Swing style.