Bonanza (song)

"Bonanza"
Single by Al Caiola and His Orchestra
A-side"Bonanza"
"Bounty Hunter"
Released1961
GenreCountry
LabelUnited Artists 302
Songwriter(s)Jay Livingston and Raymond Evans[1]
Producer(s)Don Costa[1]

"Bonanza" is the musical theme for the NBC western television series Bonanza starring Lorne Greene.[2][3] It was written for the series by Jay Livingston and Raymond Evans.[4]

In 1961, it became a hit for Al Caiola and His Orchestra, whose instrumental recording (United Artists 302, backed with "Bounty Hunter") reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2][3]

Johnny Cash version

[edit]
"Bonanza!"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Ring of Fire
A-side"Bonanza!"
"Pick a Bale o' Cotton"
ReleasedJuly or August 1962 (1962-08)
GenreCountry
LabelColumbia 4-42512
Producer(s)Don Law and Frank Jones[5]
Audio
"Bonanza!" on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Billboard[6]

Johnny Cash recorded an own version, with lyrics rewritten by him and his friend Johnny Western,[4][7] and released it as a single on Columbia Records (Columbia 4-42512, "Bonanza!" with "Pick a Bale o' Cotton" on the opposite side)[8][9][10][2][11] in July[12][13] or August 1962.[9] The Billboard magazine evaluated the single upon its release as having a "moderate sales potential",[6] but "Bonanza" only grazed the Hot 100 and entirely missed the Billboard country chart,[4] while "Pick a Bale o' Cotton" didn't make either.

Background

[edit]

Rather than release another single from the album [The Sound of Johnny Cash (1962)], Columbia chose to issue "Bonanza," the theme to the hit television show, with lyrics rewritten by Cash and Johnny Western. The song briefly touched the Pop chart at #94 before dropping off, and did not hit the Country charts at all. The B-side was another Leadbelly adaptation, "Pick a Bale o' Cotton," that also failed to attract much attention.

— C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black[7]

In 1963 Cash took another stab at a TV western theme song by cowriting and recording "Bonanza." This time, he and friend Johnny Western wrote their own lyrics to the musical theme, composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, for the television series Bonanza. Cash's version was never used on the TV series about the Cartwright family, starring Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. But he did release it and include it on the Ring of Fire album. Interestingly, Cash would record a duet version of "Shifting Whispering Sands" with Lorne Greene.

— John M. Alexander. The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash[4]

Track listing

[edit]
7" single (Columbia 42512, 1962)[6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Pick a Bale o' Cotton"Johnny Cash1:56
2."Bonanza!"Jay Livingston – Raymond Evans2:24

Charts

[edit]

Al Caiola and His Orchestra version

Chart (1961) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[2][3] 19

Johnny Cash version

Chart (1962) Peak
position
US Cash Box Country Singles[11] 24
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 94

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Bonanza / Bounty Hunter". Discogs. 1961. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  2. ^ a b c d Joel Whitburn (2007). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-172-7.
  3. ^ a b c "The Hot 100 Chart (The week of May 15, 1961)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  4. ^ a b c d John M. Alexander (16 April 2018). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 41–. ISBN 978-1-61075-628-0.
  5. ^ "Johnny Cash - Bonanza! / Pick A Bale O' Cotton". Discogs. 1962. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  6. ^ a b c Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (11 August 1962). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 51–. ISSN 0006-2510. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ a b C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat. pp. 89–. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2.
  8. ^ C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat Books. pp. 23–. ISBN 978-1-61713-608-5.
  9. ^ a b Steve Turner (2005-10-30). The Man Called CASH: The Life, Love and Faith of an American Legend. Thomas Nelson. pp. 246–. ISBN 978-1-4185-7809-1.
  10. ^ John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
    John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
  11. ^ a b George Albert (1984-01-01). The Cash Box Country Singles Charts, 1958-1982. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-1685-5.
  12. ^ Peter Lewry (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. ISBN 978-1-900924-22-1.
    July
    "Bonanza"/"Pick A Bale O' Cotton" (Columbia 4-42512) released.
  13. ^ The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
  14. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
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