On This Day in 1959, Johnny Horton Recorded the Best Country Song of the Year—a Humorous History Lesson From the Perspective of an American Soldier

On this day (January 27) in 1959, Johnny Horton recorded “The Battle of New Orleans” at Bradley Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. He released the song as a single in April. Later that year, it spent 10 weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart. Months later, the publication named it the No. 1 country song of 1959.

Videos by American Songwriter

Horton was far from the only artist to record “The Battle of New Orleans.” Pete Seeger, Doug Kershaw, Johnny Cash, Leon Russell, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dolly Parton, and Deep Purple are among the acts who have cut the song. However, more than 60 years later, it is still closely associated with him. This is likely because Horton’s was the most successful rendition of the song.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1960, Country Music Said Goodbye to the Star Who Brought History to Life and Wrote Songs Covered by Dwight Yoakam and George Jones]

“The Battle of New Orleans” won the Grammy for Song of the Year, which went to songwriter Jimmy Driftwood. It also won the Grammy for Best Country and Western Performance, which went to Horton.

Additionally, the single sold over a million copies. As a result, Horton received a gold record from the RIAA. However, according to Songfacts, he asked if he could trade the record for four Golden Guitar awards. At the time, a country single that sold 250,000 copies won a Golden Guitar. He asked because his wife didn’t think the record would fit their home’s decor as well as the guitars.

Johnny Horton Finds Success with a History Lesson

Jimmy Driftwood wasn’t a professional songwriter. He was a high school principal and history teacher who enjoyed writing songs and singing. Sometimes, he wrote songs to help students learn about historical events. “The Battle of New Orleans” is no different.

The Battle of New Orleans was a battle in the War of 1812. It took place on January 8, 1815. The song’s melody is based on a fiddle tune called “The 8^th of January.”

When Driftwood performed the song that would later be made famous by Johnny Horton, he would offer some historical context. “After the Battle of New Orleans, which Andrew Jackson won on January the 8^th eighteen and fifteen, the boys played the fiddle again that night. Only they changed the name of it from a battle of a place in Ireland to the ‘8^th of January.’ Years passed, and in about nineteen and forty-five, an Arkansas school teacher slowed the tune down and put words to it, and that song is ‘The Battle of New Orleans.”

Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images