The Cattle Call
Encyclopedia
"The Cattle Call" is a song written and recorded in 1934 by American songwriter and musician Tex Owens. It became a signature song for Eddy Arnold
.
Owens wrote the song in Kansas City
while watching the snow fall. "Watching the snow, my sympathy went out to cattle
everywhere, and I just wished I could call them all around me and break some corn over a wagon wheel and feed them. That's when the words 'cattle call' came to my mind. I picked up my guitar, and in thirty minutes I had wrote the music and four verses to the song," he said. He recorded it again in 1936.
(1947), Carolina Cotton (1951) and Slim Whitman
(1954). Whitman's version peaked at No. 11 on the C&W Best Seller chart.
In 1955, Eddy Arnold recorded his version of the song, which went to No. 1 on the country chart where it stayed for two weeks and a total of 26 weeks on the chart.
Other versions were recorded by Elvis Presley
(1970), Gil Trythall (1971), Boxcar Willie
(1986), Don Edwards (1992),
Emmylou Harris
(1992), Skip Gorman (1994), Wylie Gustafson (1994), and LeAnn Rimes
(1996 with Arnold).
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
.
Owens wrote the song in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
while watching the snow fall. "Watching the snow, my sympathy went out to cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
everywhere, and I just wished I could call them all around me and break some corn over a wagon wheel and feed them. That's when the words 'cattle call' came to my mind. I picked up my guitar, and in thirty minutes I had wrote the music and four verses to the song," he said. He recorded it again in 1936.
Cover versions
The song was recorded by Tex RitterTex 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...
(1947), Carolina Cotton (1951) and Slim Whitman
Slim Whitman
Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr. , known professionally as Slim Whitman, is an American country music singer and songwriter, known for his yodelling abilities. He has sold in excess of 120 million albums in unit sales and has had numerous successful recordings...
(1954). Whitman's version peaked at No. 11 on the C&W Best Seller chart.
In 1955, Eddy Arnold recorded his version of the song, which went to No. 1 on the country chart where it stayed for two weeks and a total of 26 weeks on the chart.
Other versions were recorded by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
(1970), Gil Trythall (1971), Boxcar Willie
Boxcar Willie
Boxcar Willie, born as Lecil Travis Martin was an American country music singer, who sang in the "old-time hobo" music style, complete with dirty face, overalls, and a floppy hat...
(1986), Don Edwards (1992),
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
(1992), Skip Gorman (1994), Wylie Gustafson (1994), and LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
(1996 with Arnold).