May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You
Encyclopedia
"May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You" is a popular
song
by Meredith Willson
, originally published in 1950
.
The song is now considered a standard, recorded by many artists.
It was used as Tallulah Bankhead
's theme song for her NBC radio program, "The Big Show." She recited the words in her ultra husky voice. The show featured many of the big stars of the day, and they would join Tallulah in reciting the words, one line per star, which made a memorable ending for the show.
However, it was most popular when it was regularly sung by Kate Smith
on her early 50's TV show as the closing
song. (Kate Smith enjoyed her own personal renaissance in the 70's when the Philadelphia Flyers (Pro Hockey Team) asked her to sing God Bless America at their most important games.)
A recording with Eddy Arnold
, The Tennesseee Plough Boys and his Guitar was made in New York City
on December 13, 1950. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-0425 (in USA) and by EMI
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number MH 148.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by Meredith Willson
Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
, originally published in 1950
1950 in music
-Events:*January 3 – Sam Phillips launches Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.*August – Herbert Howells' Hymnus Paradisi is premiered at the Three Choirs Festival.*Malcolm Sargent becomes chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra....
.
The song is now considered a standard, recorded by many artists.
It was used as Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
's theme song for her NBC radio program, "The Big Show." She recited the words in her ultra husky voice. The show featured many of the big stars of the day, and they would join Tallulah in reciting the words, one line per star, which made a memorable ending for the show.
However, it was most popular when it was regularly sung by Kate Smith
Kate Smith
Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith was an American Popular singer, best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". Smith had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s.Smith was born in Greenville, Virginia...
on her early 50's TV show as the closing
song. (Kate Smith enjoyed her own personal renaissance in the 70's when the Philadelphia Flyers (Pro Hockey Team) asked her to sing God Bless America at their most important games.)
A recording with Eddy Arnold
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
, The Tennesseee Plough Boys and his Guitar was made in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on December 13, 1950. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-0425 (in USA) and by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number MH 148.