Danny Boy

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Several of my friends have asked me to post this over the years but I resisted thinking it was just too personal. Maybe I'm just getting too old but here it is...

DANNY BOY

This song’s melody was first heard in the 16th century. As best I can recall, it was a sacred song but over the centuries, it became a ballad and was very popular in the Celtic and Irish cultures before 1900. Today’s latest lyrics appeared in the USA near 1920 to the best of my knowledge. They still carry reminders of the language as used in the earlier societies.

When I was a young lad I thought it was a love song about a man and woman but I learned it was about a grandfather and his grandson going off to war. In the 1960’s I was in England and playing a pedal steel guitar. We did a show at the Royal Military Academy which is the equivalent of our West Point Military Academy. The show was an English version of the popular US show called Hee Haw. The attire protocol for the officer’s club was western dress or full military uniform. Our band was composed of US Air Force enlisted men and we were required to stay in the kitchen when on break as is common in all Military establishments.

I played Danny Boy and a short time later, an English Officer in full dress uniform with his wife, came up to talk to me. He said his mother was an elderly Irish lady who lived at his home. He wanted to know if they brought her to the Officer’s Club, would we replay the song so she might hear it and of course we agreed. They reappeared about an hour later and told me she was there and since she was very frail, could only stay a short time. We immediately played the song and the pressure of knowing someone special was listening caused me to make many mistakes with it.
They brought her to the stage, each holding one of her arms. She was very happy with a smile on her face and she said to me, in a strong Irish brogue: “ Share and I’ve never herd it played more beautifully !!” It was to be the highest compliment I have ever received and then she was gone.

On my way home after the show, the weather was foggy and off to my right side, I saw something protruding through the fog. I stopped to see what it was and had to climb a fence to get near to it. It was a tall stone monument of some sort and had plagues set into the sides. The first one I read was:

RICHARD JEFFERIES, 1848-1887
It is Eternity now.
I am in the midst of it
It is about me in the sunshine.

and the second one read:

ALFRED WILLIAMS, 1877-1930
Still to find and still to follow
Joy in every hill and hollow,
Company in solitude.

I immediately thought it was a Grandfather-Grandson memorial and in later years I was able to obtain papers about both gentlemen and a picture of the giant Sarsen Stone memorial erected in their honor in 1939. They were writers and poets of that era and are still held in high regard to this day. For my Grandson, I have changed the lyrics from Danny Boy to Caleb Bryce in his honor and to write the strong love I feel for him.

Regards, Paul

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

Paul, that is a touching story...thank you for sharing it with the Forum.
www.genejones.com

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Gene: What are doing up this early ? I put it on early so I'd have time to hide for awhile...With your kind permission; I'm learning a new Kodak program and I'd like to try and send you some pictures of Caleb via e-mail. OK ??

Regards, Paul

Jeff Lampert · From: queens, new york city

What a story, Paul. Thanks for sharing.

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[url=http://www.mightyfinemusic.com/jeff's_jazz.htm]Jeff's Jazz[/url]

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Jeff: Knowing your regard for this song as I do, your compliments are very meaningful to me and I Thank You doubly for that !!

Regards, Paul

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

Paul-
Thanks for sharing . I used to read all your articles in Frets Magazine so many years ago, and you are still a great writer.

My two favorite recordings of "Danny Boy" are the ones that Buddy Emmons did on E9 and Maurice Anderson did on Bb6.

Other that I liked very well of "Londonderry Aire" was by Bill Stafford on his Electric Harp 14 string E9/B6, on his CD "Going Home". .....al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Al: It's odd that you should mention Fender/Fretts because I first wrote this back in the 60's for them but never sent it in because I felt it was too personnal about me. 3 or 4 years ago I shared it with Jody Carver because of our Fender relationship but still with held it from publication for the same reason.

Then recently, I shared it with a mutual friend of Jody's and myself, Roy Ayres who encouraged me to put it on the Forum. A few local friends have also said it should be put on the Forum so I sort of gave in.

I am glad you enjoyed it !!

Regards, Paul

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Thanks, Paul

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Browse my Photo Album and be sure to sign my Guest Book.

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

Yes Paul, I would like to see those pictures of Caleb!
www.genejones.com

Rick Garrett · From: Tyler, Texas

Great story Paul. What a touching tribute to your grandson. I have the same feelings for my grandson and hope that someday I can touch his heart as you've touched your grandson's heart. God Bless

Rick

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Thinking about this gig as I went to sleep last night, I remembered something else that was unusual.

The officer in the above story was a professor at the college. On the first break, as we came out of the kitchen, I noticed 5 or 6 "Cadets (?)" standing around the Fender 1000. I would guess they were engineering students and were looking underneath it and also giving the Fender Pro amplifier I was using, a close exam as well.

As I approached, one commentd that I was playing a very unique instrument ! I was a bit tongue tied and said something awkward like: It helps to kill time... Another one then said something that I understand and yet I don't know exactly what he meant to this day.

Well Sir ! I'd say you've chosen an effective weapon !!

Regards, Paul

Gary Goodman · From: Covina, California, USA

Paul, What a wonderfull story. Danny Boy is also one of my favorite all time songs. And you are right on target about Buddy Emmons version on his black album. I had a request for it several years ago and after I played it the lady who requested it came and thanked me and she was crying because of some memory it brought back to her. I took that as a compliment.

Tony Davis · From: Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Paul !!.my friend !!
..Thanks or this story.....I love to read these sort of things !!!!!
I will alert Anne Marie to to read it once she gets back on line.........although how you figured out that we realy are close friends has me beat !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey ????...I spent a lot of time with our friend Jody Carver in St Louis...........and with his wife Marilyn......what real nice people !!!!!!
Jody was a little confused as someone was suupposed to come help him with his gear...but didnt turn up.......so i just went and grabbed my buddy Michael who is a Bell Hop in the Millenium.......my buddy in as much as he was trying to teach me how to do "The Walk".....and wanted to get me a job to work alongside him...........enjoyed how crazy I was !!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went up with a sort of trolley to Jody's suite.....loaded all his gear onto it and took it down to the stage area no problem!!

Got to go..please send Pics of Caleb
See Ya.....Tony

David Doggett · Posted 6 Oct 2004 6:49 am

Danny Boy was the first song I learned to play solo on the pedal steel. I just had to learn to play it for myself, and still love to finish off a late night practice alone with it. Loved your story, Paul.

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 06 October 2004 at 07:49 AM.]

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

When did the title "LONDONDERY AIRE" get tagged onto "DANNY BOY" ? Just curious.

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

....about the time that everyone discovered that they didn't have to pay license fees to record it because it was a "free" number on an album!

www.genejones.com

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

George: I cannot say when that actually happened if it did at all but, in the 1967 Volume 4 issue of Fender/Fretts, we ran a chart of Maurice Anderson's arrangement of Danny Boy. Fender and I both tried to get permission to use the song Danny Boy but were refused by Fred XXXXX (I forget his last name...) so we used the title Londonderry Air which goes back to antiquity and was free to use. As I mentioned earlier, the tune or melody goes back as far as the 16th Century from the lore I have heard.

At one time, I started a thread in Tab to see if perhaps this chart by Reece was the first published Tab for PSG but it didn't go anywhere and as far as I can see it may be just that. The chart in the book Titled Pushin' Pedals that b0b has for sale here on the Forum is in Reece's own handwriting and may someday prove to be valuable to Pedal Steel Guitarists for that reason.

Regards, Paul

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Thanx Paul...Like you said, it goes back a very long way.

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Keoki .. hi my friend.. you ask

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

You're right Paul, it's indeed a wonderful song. I did some research and discovered that F.E. Weatherly is credited with the words (which he had originally written with another melody) in 1910. In 1912, a relative sent him the Londonderry Air melody, and he substituted his original Danny Boy composition's words into it, and re-published it in 1912. Incidentally, Weatherly was quite a prolific songwriter, having written thousands of songs, and having published over 1,500 of them! The original melody of Londonderry Air (first published in 1855) was probably taken from an old Irish folksong called "Aislean an Oigfear" (A Young Man's Dreams), written sometime in the late 1600's.

Being a great timeless song, and being in the public domain (free from copyright restrictions) is probably the reason for it's continued popularity. I can think of no other song which has been recorded and performed so often, by so many people.

(Note: Some arrangements of the song may still be under copyright restrictions, so if you play it, play it your own way. I think that's the way folksong are intended to be played.)

Once again, Paul, thank you for sharing your stories with us.

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

And I thank you Donny and all those who posted comments on this thread.

Nowadays there are a lot of surveys or such things published about the most recorded song or the most sales etc, et al. This tune would be a hands down winner if they had a category for most sung by anyone in history. I picture it as being sung in the fields and then in the factories and always in the home.

And when Danny Thomas had it on early television it was heard everywhere. Makes me wonder just what it is that makes it so long lived. Since the words have changed several times we could not say it was the lyrics though some of them are very poignant. The melody has to be the haunting factor that stays with us as a culture for hundreds of years. That is impressive indeed and while I may be wrong, I don't know of another tune that has had such staying power !!

Regards, Paul

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Just as an afterthought...A man can't really sing this song with conviction....it's a song in the feminine gender..
Check out the lyrics !
Basil

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Basil, I don't think so.

This is the "story behind the song" that I found elsewhere on the web...

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Once again, it may be the years creeping up on me but, I cannot recall ever hearing a female rendition of the song. I recognize the role of the female voice in Celtic traditions but I can make no connection with Danny Boy. I have always heard and felt the story Donny has related with the exception of a generation gap.

Regards, Paul

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Donny... I don't think so ... In the world of Seanos singing (The Irish Traditional unaccompanied style) it is well accepted that the song is a Feminine gender song. When sung by a man, the composer of the lyrics, suggests that the name "Eily" (Eileen) be used INSTEAD of Danny..

In a page on the TRUE meaning of Danny Boy, ( http://www.standingstones.com/danny3.html#true )
this was found

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