THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

82-Paul Whiteman and His Concert Orchestra with Paul Robeson and Mixed Chorus-Ol’ Man River.

1928-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 2.19. The Mississippi river is the second longest river on the North American continent. It flows generally South for 2,320 miles (3,730 km) to the Mississippi Delta in the Gulf of Mexico, but we’re not here for a geography lesson, so let me tell you about the song.

‘Ol’ Man River’ was written for the 1927 musical ‘Showboat,’ with the music being written by Jerome Kern, (1885-1945) (see also best songs 687) and the lyrics being provided by Oscar Hammerstein (1895-1960) (see also best songs 842 and 60.) The musical is based on the best selling novel ‘Show Boat,’ written in 1926 by the American author and dramatist Edna Ferber (1885-1968) Ferber had serious reservations about her work being turned in to a musical.

Up until ‘Showboat’ as a general rule musicals were basically, boy meets girl, they break up, reconcile, and then live happily ever after. Ferber was reassured ‘Showboat’ would be different, and it is now seen as groundbreaking in that it remained loyal to the story’s serious subject matter, which led the way for future musicals. Ferber related in her autobiography that when Jerome Kern first played her ‘Ol’ Man River,’The music mounted, mounted, mounted, and I give you my word my hair stood on end, the tears came to my eyes, and I breathed like a heroine in a melodrama. This was great music. It was music that would outlast Kern’s day and mine.’

Edna Ferber’s novel ‘Show Boat’ chronicles the lives of a family of performers from the 1880’s to the 1920’s. They travelled on the ‘Cotton Blossom’, a floating theatre boat that provided entertainment for the small isolated towns on the banks of the Mississippi.’Ol’ Man River’ tells of the hardships of Indians, now known as African Americans working tirelessly on the boat, and in the ports where it docks. It also tells of the way white European travellers on board were uncaring and disinterested in their plight.

The musical ‘Show Boat’ opened to rave revues in 1927, with ‘Ol’ Man River’ being performed by Jules Bledsoe, (1897-1943) he also sang it in the first film version in 1929. The first hit version of the song was in 1928 by ‘Paul Whiteman (1890-1967) and His Orchestra, with Bing Crosby (1903-1977) (see also best songs 934-457 and 259) providing the vocals, this version gave Bing Crosby his second American Number 1 single. Just two months later Whiteman and His Orchestra recorded the song again, this time with the bass singer Paul Robeson (1898-1976) providing the vocals. This recording was far more up tempo than the version recorded with Crosby, and over the years has become the definitive recording.

Paul Leroy Robeson was born on April 9th, 1898, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, he died on January 23rd, 1977, following complications of a stroke at the age of 77. Robeson had been the first choice to play the role of ‘Joe’ who sings ‘Ol’ Man River’ in the musical, but due to other commitments he was unavailable at that time, however he accepted the role for it’s 1928 London production, and it’s 1932 Broadway revival. Paul Robeson would also make the role of ‘Joe’ is own when accepting the part for the 1936 second film version of ‘Show Boat.’

‘I gets weary, sick of trying. I’m tired of living, feared of dying, but Ol’ man river he’s rolling along.’