The Wayward Wind

"The Wayward Wind" is a country song written by Stanley Lebowsky (music) and Herb Newman (lyrics).^[1][2]

In 1956, versions were recorded by Gogi Grant, Tex Ritter, and Jimmy Young, of which Grant's was the biggest seller in the United States and Ritter's in the United Kingdom. The song reached No. 1 on the Cash Box chart, which combined all recorded versions, the Gogi Grant version reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart on its own. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1956.^[3] It became a gold record.

In 1961, Grant's recording was reissued and reached Billboard No. 50 and Cash Box No. 78. That same year, Patsy Cline made a recording, which did not chart. In 1963, a new recording was made by Frank Ifield, which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks duration.^[4]

The song made the Billboard country chart in the 1980s in a version by Sylvia, with accompaniment by James Galway.

Members of the Western Writers of America chose the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.^[5]

The Beatles cover version

According to eminent author Mark Lewisohn in "The Complete Beatles Chronicles" (p. 365) The Beatles performed The Wayward Wind live from 1960 through 1961 (in Hamburg and Liverpool and elsewhere). It is unclear whether the lead vocal was by John Lennon or Paul McCartney or both. No recorded version is known to survive. Lewisohn believes that the Gene Vincent 1958 record is the basis of the Beatles version but it may have also been the Tex Ritter one.

Recorded versions

• Gogi Grant (1956) No. 1 (U.S.), No. 9 (UK)
• Tex Ritter (1956) No. 28 (U.S.), No. 8 (UK)
• Jimmy Young (1956) No. 27 (UK)
• Shirley Bassey (1956)
• Gene Vincent (1958) on his Capitol Records album A Gene Vincent Record Date
• Carl Mann (1959)
• The Wilburn Brothers (1960) on their album The Big Heartbreak
• Sam Cooke (1960) on his album Hits of the '50s
• Patsy Cline (1961) on her album Patsy Cline Showcase
• The Everly Brothers (1961) on their album Both Sides of an Evening
• Slim Whitman (1962) on his album Country Style
• Eddy Arnold (1963) on his album Cattle Call.
• Frank Ifield (1963) No. 1 (UK), No. 16 (Australia), No. 3 (Ireland), No. 104 (U.S.)
• The Browns (1964) on their album This Young Land
• Connie Francis (1967) on her album My Heart Cries for You
• Frankie Laine (1968) on his album Take Me Back to Laine Country
• Connie Smith (1978) on her album New Horizons
• Crystal Gayle (1978) on her album When I Dream
• Neil Young (1985) on his album Old Ways (album reached No. 75 on the Billboard Top 200, No. 24 on Top Country Albums)
• Anne Murray (1993), on her album of 1950s pop cover versions, Croonin'
• Lynn Anderson on her album Cowboy's Sweetheart
• The Waterboys on the 2008 remaster of their 1990 album Room To Roam

Chart performance

Anne Murray

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6]	70
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[7]	6
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[8]	7

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)	Position
Canada Adult Contemporary Tracks (RPM)[9]	44
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[10]	69

References

1. "The Wayward Wind" was written by Marguerite Workman and sold to Tex Ritter for 50 dollars. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 70. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
2. Knowles, Eleanor (1956-07-14). "Singer, Composer Meet In S.L.". The Deseret News (Salt Lake City).
3. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1956
4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 147. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
5. Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2375." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. January 31, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
7. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2394." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 28, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
8. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2412." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 14, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
9. "RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1994". RPM. December 12, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
10. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1994". RPM. December 12, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.