Johnny Horton "The Battle Of New Orleans" Single Of The Day

Greetings from Asheville, where good music is always found.  Today’s Single Of The Day became a mega-hit, way back in 1959, as it topped both the Country and Pop charts.

Everybody knows “The Battle Of New Orleans”, certainly one of country music’s most famous recordings.  From the opening banjo riff to Buddy Harman’s marching drum beat, once you hear it, you never forget it.  Johnny Horton recorded the song, during a January, 1959 session in Nashville, which also yielded the single’s flip, “All For The Love Of A Girl”, which Claude King would later take into the top ten.  Ironically, the single was released on April 6th, 1959, the exact same day that Horton’s “When It’s Springtime In Alaska” hit number one on Billboard.  ”The Battle Of New Orleans” quickly caught fire, debuting on the country chart in late April, and in early May, the pop Top 40.  And once on the charts, the single wasted little time reaching the top, hitting number one on the country charts in mid-May, while hitting the number one spot on the pop charts on June 1st.  ”The Battle Of New Orleans” spent a total of sixteen weeks at number one; ten on the country side, and six on the pop side.

Today’s photo shows not the original issue, but the re-release that Columbia first issued in 1961, pairing the hit with another Johnny Horton number one, “North To Alaska”.  This particular issue shows Columbia’s 1970′s “Hall Of Fame” labeling; incidentally, this is one of the first 45′s purchased by your humble blogger.  In fact, if you look really hard, you’ll see the purchase date written in pencil, by a then, 8-year old self.

Simply put, one of the greatest records ever released.

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Johnny Horton "The Battle Of New Orleans" Single Of The Day