[78-L] Green Grow the Lilacs

[Guyotsmith at aol.com]

Cary, that's an interesting question. Frank Luther sang it on  a World 
transcription which would pre-date Tex's Capitol recording - and Frank  much 
later included the song on his final Lp, in stereo, for Pickwick. Frank  also 
sang the song on my grandmother's NBC radio series. My grandmother and Tex  
Ritter, who also worked together in New York, liked to tell the story of that 
 song's popularity during the 1847 war with Mexico, and how the soldiers' 
singing  "Green Grow the Lilacs" was supposedly misinterpreted by the Mexican 
troops,  resulting in their calling the Americans "gringo" (corrupted from 
"green grow").  In reality, the term "gringo" is probably a corruption of 
"griego," as you know  - but both my grandmother and Tex spent decades telling 
the "Green Grow the  Lilacs" story, and I shared it with my own students 
this past week. 
 
Whereas Tex sings "....and change the green lilacs for the  red, white, and 
blue,"  Frank Luther has it "...and change the green lilacs  to the Oregon 
blue."  Others sing it as "the orange and the blue."   Had I been possessed 
of sufficient intelligence in my younger days, I would have  recorded my 
grandmother singing that song - but I didn't. Her melody - and Frank  Luther's 
- differed from Tex's. Whether Tex sang it as Lynn Riggs wanted it  sung, or 
whether he had known the song as a youth in Texas, I don't know. He  
sometimes called it his favorite song.  How many questions would we ask if  we 
could go back in time! 
 
Have a wonderful week ahead.
 
Jonathan
 
 
In a message dated 1/12/2014 11:51:39 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
soundthink at live.com writes:

Does  anyone know of recordings of the song "Green Grow the Lilacs" that 
predates  Tex Ritter's 1945 Capitol version? The song was the basis for Lynn 
Riggs' 1931  play, which consisted entirely of traditional folk songs. 
Rodgers &  Hammerstein later revamped the story, replaced the folk songs with 
their own  compositions, and transformed Broadway with the resulting show, 
"Oklahoma!"  but I find the orignal show intriguing. I find no recordings of 
"Green Grow  the Lilacs" in Russell so wonder if any others were recorded.

Cary  Ginell
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