Bye Bye Blackbird

"Bye Bye Blackbird" is a song published in 1926 by Jerome H. Remick and written by composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra in March 1926.

Song information

Popular recordings in 1926 were by Nick Lucas, Gene Austin, Benny Krueger, and by Leo Reisman. It was the number 16 song of 1926 according to Pop Culture Madness.

In popular culture

The song was featured in the 1955 movie musical Pete Kelly's Blues, sung by Peggy Lee in the role of alcoholic jazz singer Rose Hopkins.

In "Goodbye Nkrumah" (1966) Beat poet Diane Di Prima asks:

And yet, where would we be without the American culture
Bye bye blackbird, as Miles plays it, in the ’50s

In 1982, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) posthumously awarded John Coltrane a "Best Jazz Solo Performance" Grammy for the work on his album Bye Bye Blackbird.

Recordings of the song often include only the chorus; the verses are far less known.

Segregationists opposed to the American Civil Rights Movement, notably at the Selma to Montgomery marches, played the song over loudspeakers as a taunt.

In 1968, Joe Cocker recorded a cover of "Bye Bye Blackbird" that was included on his 1969 album With A Little Help From My Friends. Allmusic reviewer Matthew Greenwald described it as a "Classic Pop Gospel Ballad".

In 1987, Sharon, Lois & Bram performed the song on their television series, Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show on the "Mother Goose" episode, and again in 1988 on the "Curio Shoppe" episode.

Tiny Tim recorded the song with Brave Combo on what would be his final recording, the 1996 album Girl.

In 2011, Paul McCartney recorded a cover of "Bye Bye Blackbird" that was included on his 2012 album Kisses on the Bottom.

See also

• List of 1920s jazz standards
• My Blue Heaven

References

Further reading

• "Bye Bye Blackbird". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2020-11-29.