Reuben James (Woody Guthrie song)
Encyclopedia
“Reuben James” is a song by Woody Guthrie
about the sinking of the U.S. convoy
escort, the Reuben James
, which was the first U.S. naval ship sunk by German U-boats in World War II. Woody Guthrie had started to write a song including each name on the casualty list of the sinking. This was later replaced by the chorus “tell me what were their names.”
While Country Music
artist Kenny Rogers
has also had a hit with a song entitled "Reuben James" it bears no other connection to the Guthrie recording.
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
about the sinking of the U.S. convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
escort, the Reuben James
USS Reuben James (DD-245)
USS Reuben James —a post-World War I four-funnel Clemson-class destroyer—was the first United States Navy ship sunk by hostile action in World War II and the first named for Boatswain's Mate Reuben James , who distinguished himself fighting in the Barbary Wars.Reuben James was laid down on 2 April...
, which was the first U.S. naval ship sunk by German U-boats in World War II. Woody Guthrie had started to write a song including each name on the casualty list of the sinking. This was later replaced by the chorus “tell me what were their names.”
While Country Music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
has also had a hit with a song entitled "Reuben James" it bears no other connection to the Guthrie recording.
Recordings
- The Almanac Singers on Dear Mr. PresidentDear Mr. President (Almanac Singers album)Dear Mr. President is a 1942 album by the Almanac Singers: Agnes Cunningham, Baldwin Hawes, Woody Guthrie, Millard Lampell, Lee Hays and Pete Seeger. After the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, in February 1942 the Almanacs went into the studio to record a set of songs supporting the American war...
1942 - Will GeerWill GeerWill Geer was an American actor and social activist. His original name was William Aughe Ghere. He is remembered for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series, The Waltons....
on Bound for Glory 1958 - Johnny HortonJohnny HortonJohn Gale "Johnny" Horton was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s...
on Johnny Horton Sings History 1960 - Oscar BrandOscar BrandOscar Brand is a folk singer, songwriter, and author. In his career, spanning over 60 years, he has composed at least 300 songs and released nearly 100 albums, among them Canadian and American patriotic songs...
on Every Inch a Sailor 1960 - Kingston Trio on Close-UpClose-Up (Kingston Trio album)Close-Up was the eleventh album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 1961 . It was the first release by the group after the departure of founding member Dave Guard. The Trio now consisted of Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds and Guard's replacement John Stewart...
1961 - The Chad Mitchell Trio on Reflecting 1963
- Cisco HoustonCisco HoustonGilbert Vandine 'Cisco' Houston was an American folk singer and songwriter who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of recording together....
on Cisco Houston sings the songs of Woody Guthrie 1963 - James TalleyJames TalleyJames Talley is an American country blues and electric blues singer-songwriter.-Biography:Born in Mehan, Oklahoma, Talley is an artist whose vision of the American experience, as author David McGee has said is "startlingly original." As a youth, Talley's family moved from Oklahoma to Washington...
on Woody Guthrie and Songs of My Oklahoma Home 1999 - Folk Family Robinson on Songs of America (2007). Folk Family Robinson is Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes and their father Stan Robinson.