The Blue and the Gray (song)
Encyclopedia
The Blue and the Gray is a song composed by Paul Dresser
. It was a sentimental ballad, written in what came to be known as “mother-and-home” style for which Dresser was known. It was first published in 1900 by Howley, Haviland & Co and was one of the more popular songs published and recorded in the early 1900s.
, a counter-tenor who worked closely with Dresser and who often sang the song on the vaudeville
stage. The song was recorded by Arthur Collins
on March 10, 1900 for Berliner Gramophone
and again on July 21, 1900 for the Victor Talking Machine Company
. It was also recorded several times between 1900 and 1903 by Harry Macdonough
for Victor and by a number of artists for Zonophone
, including Victor Herbert
's Band, Edward Favor and Bert Morphy.
(Appomattox
and Chickamauga
) and, over thirty years later, loses a third son in Cuba during the Spanish-American War
. The song was one of several songs Dresser wrote about the war, which ended in 1898. Its lyrics are:
Paul Dresser
Johann Paul Dresser, Jr. was a popular American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he was frequently in trouble and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels...
. It was a sentimental ballad, written in what came to be known as “mother-and-home” style for which Dresser was known. It was first published in 1900 by Howley, Haviland & Co and was one of the more popular songs published and recorded in the early 1900s.
Early performances and recordings
Upon its release, "The Blue and the Gray" was associated with singer Richard JoseRichard Jose
Richard J. Jose was an American countertenor.-Life:He immigrated to Nevada after his uncle.He sang in saloons for charity, and in 1881 with Thatcher's Minstrels....
, a counter-tenor who worked closely with Dresser and who often sang the song on the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
stage. The song was recorded by Arthur Collins
Arthur Collins
Arthur Francis Collins was an American singer who recorded a significant number of early records. With tenor singer Byron G...
on March 10, 1900 for Berliner Gramophone
Berliner Gramophone
Berliner Gramophone was an early record label, the first company to produce disc "gramophone records" .-History:...
and again on July 21, 1900 for the Victor Talking Machine Company
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
. It was also recorded several times between 1900 and 1903 by Harry Macdonough
Harry Macdonough
John Scantlebury Macdonald was a Canadian singer and recording executive. Under the pseudonym Harry Macdonough, he was one of the most prolific and popular tenors during the formative years of recorded music....
for Victor and by a number of artists for Zonophone
Zonophone
Zonophone, early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone was a record label founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey by Frank Seaman. The Zonophone name was not that of the company, but was applied to the records and machines sold by Seaman from 1899-1900 to 1903...
, including Victor Herbert
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I...
's Band, Edward Favor and Bert Morphy.
Subject
The songs tells the story of a mother who lost two sons in the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(Appomattox
Appomattox
Appomattox may refer to:*Appomattox, Virginia, a town*Appomattox County, Virginia* Appomattox Basin, a name for the Tri-Cities, Virginia region*Appomattox Court House, a court house in Virginia...
and Chickamauga
Chickamauga
Chickamauga may refer to:* Chickamauga Indian* Chickamauga Wars , battles between Cherokee and Anglo-American pioneer settlers; also related to the American Revolutionary War* Chickamauga, Georgia...
) and, over thirty years later, loses a third son in Cuba during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. The song was one of several songs Dresser wrote about the war, which ended in 1898. Its lyrics are:
- A mother's gift to her country's cause is a story yet untold
- She had three sons, three only sons, each worth his weight in gold
- She gave them up for the sake of war, while her heart was filled with pain
- As each went away, she was heard to say, he will never return again
- CHORUS
- One lies down near Appomattax, many miles away
- Another sleeps at Chickamauga, and they both wore suits of gray
- Mid the strains of "Down to Dixie", the third was laid away
- In a trench at Santiago, the Blue and the Gray
- She's alone tonight, while the stars shine bright, with a heart full of despair
- On the last great day, I can hear her say, my three boys will be there
- Perhaps they'll wait, at the heav'nly gates, on guard beside their guns
- Then the mother true, to the gray and blue, may enter with her sons