CHEROKEE (INDIAN LOVE SONG)
Music and lyrics: Ray Noble
Year: 1938
Origin of the song
On 8 October 1938, the British compositor and orchestra conductor Ray Noble recorded the song ‘Cherokee’ for the Brunswick label. It was the first of five movements for his Indian Suite (Cherokee, Comanche War Dance, Iroquois, Seminole, and Sioux Sue).
The following year, the trumpet player and director Billy May made an arrangement in ‘Cherokee’ for Charlie Barnet’s orchestra, which immediately turned into a great hit. On 24 October of that same year it entered the top charts and reached the fifteenth position. Later on, in 1940, a version of ‘Cherokee’ titles ‘Redskin Rhumba’ was taken by Barnet as the single of his band. It remained in the top charts for two weeks and reached the eighteenth position. The author of ‘Redskin Rhumba’ was Dale Bennett, actually a pseudonym of Charlie Barnet.
‘Cherokee’ wasn’t the first Ray Noble’s hit, who has written before the lyrics and the music of ‘Love Is the Sweetest Thing’ (1932), ‘The Very Thought of You’ (1934), ‘The Touch of Your Lips’ (1936), and ‘I Hadn’t Anyone Till You’ (1938). The two first ones reached the top of the charts.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSTION REACHED |
|
|
1939.07.17 |
1939.10.14 |
3 |
15 |
Instrumental (Bluebird 10373)- “Cherokee” |
|
|
1940.10.14 |
1940.12.28 |
2 |
18 |
Instrumental (Bluebird 10944)- "Redskin Rhumba" |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
Charlie Barnet Orchestra |
1939.07.17 |
Charlie Barnet (ts, dir), Bob Burnet, John Mendell, John Owens (tp), Ben Hall, Don Ruppersberg, Bill Robertson (tb), Gene Kinsey, Donald McCook (as), Kurt Bloom (ts), James Lamare (ts, bars), Bill Miller (p), Bus Etri (g), Phil Stephens (b), Ray Michaels (d) |
|
1945.05.17 |
Don Byas (ts), Teddy Brannon (p), Frank Skeete (b), Fred Radcliffe (d) |
|
|
George’s Dukes and a Duchess |
1945.12.?? |
Karl George (tp), Lucky Thompson (ts), unidentified (as, g, p, b, d) |
|
1949.02.?? |
Bud Powell (p), Ray Brown (b), Max Roach (d) |
|
|
1952.12.17 |
Earl Bostic (as, dir), Blue Mitchell (tp), Ray Felder (ts), Gene Redd (vib), Joe Knight (p), Mickey Baker (g), Ike Isaacs (b), George Brown (d) |
|
|
1955.02.25 |
Clifford Brown (tp), Harold Land (ts), Richie Powell (p), George Morrow (b), Max Roach (d) |
|
|
1955.08.01 |
Stan Getz (ts), Lionel Hampton (vib), Lou Levy (p), Leroy Vinnegar (b), Shelly Manne (d) |
|
|
1957.02.13 |
Jimmy Smith (org), Eddie McFadden (g), Donald Bailey (d) |
|
|
Johnny Griffin Quartet |
1958.02.27 |
Johnny Griffin (ts), Kenny Drew (p), Wilbur Ware (b), Philly Joe Jones (d) |
|
1958.12.07 |
Palle Bolvig, Allan Botschinsky, Einer Christiansen, Svend Lundvig (tp), John Lind, Bent Ranak (tb), Johannes Jorgensen, Uffe Karskov (as), Stan Getz, Karl Lewkovitch, Paul Moller Martin (ts), Kai Mathiesen (bars), Bent Axen (p), Marcel Rigou (b), Jorn Erliff (d), Ib Glindemann (dir) |
|
|
1963.01.04 |
Duke Ellington (p, dir), Ray Nance (cnt), Cat Anderson, Roy Burrowes, Cootie Williams (tp), Lawrence Brown, Chuyck Connors, Buster Cooper (tb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Russell Procope (cl, as), Johnny Hodges (as), Paul Gonsalves (ts), Harry Carney (bars, cl), Ernie Shepard (b), Sam Woodyard (d) |
|
|
Chet Baker Quintet |
1965.08.23 |
Chet Baker (fis), George Coleman (ts), Kirk Lightsey (p), Herman Wright (b), Roy Brooks (d) |
|
1973.08.28 |
Joe Pass (g) |
|
|
Wynton Marsalis Quartet |
1986.05.29 |
Wynton Marsalis (tp), Marcus Roberts (p), Robert Hurst (b), Jeff 'Tain' Watts (d) |
|
Dave Brubeck Quartet |
1995.??.?? |
Dave Brubeck (p), Bobby Militello (fl, as), Jack Six (b), Randy Jones (d) |
|
Lee Konitz |
1996.11.21 |
Lee Konitz (as) |
|
Lee Konitz & Alan Broadbent |
2000.10.20 |
Lee Konitz (as), Alan Broadbent (p) |
|
2002.05.03 |
Slide Hampton (tb, dir), Bill Watrous, Jay Ashby, Michael Boschen, Steve Davis, Hugh Fraser, David Gibson, Andre Hayward, Benny Powell, Isaac Smith, Tim Newman, Douglas Purviance, Max Seigel, David Taylor (tb), Marty Ashby (g, bjo), Larry Willis (p), John Lee (b), Victor Jones (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1955.10.26 |
Sarah Vaughan (voc), Ernie Royal, Bernie Glow (tp), J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (tb), Cannonball Adderley, Sam Marowitz (as), Jerome Richardson (fl, ts), Jimmy Jones (p), Turk VanLake (g), Joe Benjamin (b), Roy Haynes (d), Ernie Wilkins (dir) |
|
|
1958.02.05 |
Dakota Staton (voc),
unidentified orchestra |
|
|
Dianne Reeves |
1996.04.04 |
Dianne Reeves (voc), Bobby Watson (as), Kenny Barron (p), Rodney Whitaker (b), Herlin Riley (d) |
|
1999.01.?? |
Karrin Allyson (voc, p), Kim Park (as), Paul Smith (p), Bob Bowman (b), Todd Strait (d, per) |
|
|
2002.07.?? |
Keely Smith (voc), Dennis Michaels (p, dir), Frank Szabo, Carl Saunders, Wayne Bergeron, Pete Candoli (tp), Andy Martin, Chauncey Welsch, Bryant Byers (tb), Brad Kintcher,
Paul Klintworth, Trish Skys, Ian Donald (tpa), Sal Lozano, Lanny Morgan (as), Pete Christlieb, Don Menza (ts), Bob Efford (bars), Jim Self (tu), Frank Collett (p), Barry Zweig
(g), Kirk Smith (b), Steve Barnes (d), John Magnussen (per), string section |
On cinemas
The song 'Cherokee' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies: :
|
ORIGINAL
TITLE |
TITLE IN
SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Gene Krupa Story |
La historia de Gene Krupa |
1959 |
Gene Krupa Orchestra |
|
Racing With The Moon |
Adiós a la inocencia |
1984 |
|