Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
Encyclopedia
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! is a Western swing
novelty song
written by Merle Travis
and Tex Williams for Tex Williams
and his talking blues
style of singing. Merle Travis wrote the bulk of the song.. The original Tex Williams version went to number one for sixteen, non consecutive weeks on the Hot Country Songs
chart
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) is a Western swing
novelty song
written by Merle Travis
and Tex WilliamsBMI Copyright and Registration Info for Tex Williams
and his talking blues
style of singing. Merle Travis wrote the bulk of the song.CMT bio of Tex Williams. The original Tex Williams version went to number one for sixteen, non consecutive weeks on the Hot Country Songs
chart
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) is a Western swing
novelty song
written by Merle Travis
and Tex WilliamsBMI Copyright and Registration Info for Tex Williams
and his talking blues
style of singing. Merle Travis wrote the bulk of the song.CMT bio of Tex Williams. The original Tex Williams version went to number one for sixteen, non consecutive weeks on the Hot Country Songs
chart . Recorded on March 27, 1947 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" was produced by Lee Gillette and featured Deuce Spriggens, bass fiddle, harmony vocal; Larry "Pedro" DePaul, accordion; Johnny Weis, lead guitar; Cactus Soldi, Rex Call, Harry Sims, fiddler; Ossie Godson, piano; Spike Featherstone, harp; Earl "Joaquin" Murphey, steel guitar; Manny Klein, trumpet; Smokey Rogers, guitar, harmony vocal; Muddy Berry, drums.
A popular version performed by Phil Harris
stayed on the charts for 23 weeks, reaching #1 in July 1947. On the Popular charts it became a number one hit in August 1947
and stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks.
Williams made a stereophonic re-recording of the song for Capitol in 1960 on the LP album Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! Music: Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! by Tex Williams. Rhapsody Online .
The song can be heard in the opening of the 2006 film Thank You for Smoking.IMDB It has also been covered by Sammy Davis, Jr.
, Willie Nelson
, Phil Harris
, Jimmy Dean
, Commander Cody
, Asleep at the Wheel
and a few others.All Music
The song can also be heard in the 2011 Video Game L.A. Noire
set in late 1940's L.A.
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...
novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
written by Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
and Tex Williams for Tex Williams
Tex Williams
Sollie Paul Williams , known professionally as Tex Williams, was an American Western swing musician from Ramsey, Illinois....
and his talking blues
Talking blues
Talking blues is a form of country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict....
style of singing. Merle Travis wrote the bulk of the song.. The original Tex Williams version went to number one for sixteen, non consecutive weeks on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) is a 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...
novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
written by Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
and Tex WilliamsBMI Copyright and Registration Info for Tex Williams
Tex Williams
Sollie Paul Williams , known professionally as Tex Williams, was an American Western swing musician from Ramsey, Illinois....
and his talking blues
Talking blues
Talking blues is a form of country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict....
style of singing. Merle Travis wrote the bulk of the song.CMT bio of Tex Williams. The original Tex Williams version went to number one for sixteen, non consecutive weeks on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) is a 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...
novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
written by Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
and Tex WilliamsBMI Copyright and Registration Info for Tex Williams
Tex Williams
Sollie Paul Williams , known professionally as Tex Williams, was an American Western swing musician from Ramsey, Illinois....
and his talking blues
Talking blues
Talking blues is a form of country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict....
style of singing. Merle Travis wrote the bulk of the song.CMT bio of Tex Williams. The original Tex Williams version went to number one for sixteen, non consecutive weeks on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart . Recorded on March 27, 1947 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" was produced by Lee Gillette and featured Deuce Spriggens, bass fiddle, harmony vocal; Larry "Pedro" DePaul, accordion; Johnny Weis, lead guitar; Cactus Soldi, Rex Call, Harry Sims, fiddler; Ossie Godson, piano; Spike Featherstone, harp; Earl "Joaquin" Murphey, steel guitar; Manny Klein, trumpet; Smokey Rogers, guitar, harmony vocal; Muddy Berry, drums.
A popular version performed by Phil Harris
Phil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
stayed on the charts for 23 weeks, reaching #1 in July 1947. On the Popular charts it became a number one hit in August 1947
Number-one hits of 1947 (USA)
This is a list of number-one songs in the United States during the year 1947 according to Billboard magazine. Prior to the creation of the Hot 100, Billboard published multiple singles charts each week...
and stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks.
Williams made a stereophonic re-recording of the song for Capitol in 1960 on the LP album Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! Music: Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! by Tex Williams. Rhapsody Online .
The song can be heard in the opening of the 2006 film Thank You for Smoking.IMDB It has also been covered by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Phil Harris
Phil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
, Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Ray Dean was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. Although he may be best known today as the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand, he became a national television personality starting in 1957, rising to fame for his 1961 country crossover hit "Big Bad...
, Commander Cody
Commander Cody
Commander Cody may refer to:*The stage name of George Frayne, leader of the rock and roll band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and, informally, the band itself...
, Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep 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...
and a few others.All Music
The song can also be heard in the 2011 Video Game L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire is a 2011 crime video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows. It was released as a 3-disc game for the Xbox 360 console, which prompts the player to switch to another disc at certain points in the...
set in late 1940's L.A.