In 1939, Gene Autry toured England and Ireland. At the outset of his trip, in Dublin, he et two young songwriters, Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr. y pitched Gene a song they had written especially for him in the hope that he would record it. Gene liked the song well enough to sing it frequently on his tour. It was a favorite wherever he went, and he recorded it when he returned to the US.
The idea for the song came from a postcard sent to Jimmy Kennedy from his sisters, Nell and Nina. They had been vacationing in the US and while in California had crossed the border into Mexico. They wrote home saying “Today we’re south of the border, down Mexico way!”
Of course, the song was “South of the Border: and it became one of Gene’s favorite songs, one of the best-selling records and a Western classic, as well as the title song for one of his movies. It was so popular that it was voted 1939 Song of the Year on Your Hit Parade, and in 1943, the second line of the lyrics, “down Mexico way,” was used as the title for another of Autry’s films.
Jimmy Kennedy (1902-1984) an Irishman and Michael Carr (1905-1968) from England were elected to the WMA Hall of Fame for their work as composers of a number of best-selling Western songs, despite having written them in London’s Tin Pan Alley! In addition to the classis “South of the Border,” they wrote “The Sunset Trail” recorded in the 1930s by Roy Fox, Maurice Winnick’s orchestra and The Hill Billies, all in the U.K. It’s one of several of their compositions (“Her Name Was Rosita” was another) that were not successful in the American market but were recorded by numerous bands in the U.K. and played a part in presenting Western Music to a receptive audience there. Recordings are still available as downloads or available on YouTube.
Kennedy and Carr each composed great Western songs in collaboration with other songwriters. In 1934, Michael Carr wrote another classic, “Ole Faithful.” With Jimmy Kennedy’s younger brother, Hamilton Kennedy. Both Gene Autry and Roy Rogers sang it to their horses in movies, The Big Show and My Pal Trigger, respectively, and Will Rogers loved the song so much it was sung at his funeral in 1935. Hamilton Kennedy also collaborated with Carr on “Take Mah Boots off When Ah Die,” which was resurrected by Sourdough Slim in recent years. Carr wrote “The Wheel of the Wagon is Broken” with Desmond Cox and Elton Box, a song that was recorded by Andy Parker & The Plainsmen and performed on radio by Roy Rogers & The Sons of the Pioneers, among others. In addition, Carr collaborated with Kenneth Leslie-Smith on a beautiful Western ballad titled “Ridin’ Home” that apparently was only recorded by British band singer Al Bowlly.
Jimmy Kennedy, a lyricist, co-wrote the well-known “Down the Old Spanish Trail” with Kenneth Leslie-Smith, which Roy Rogers sang in his film On the Old Spanish Trail. It was recorded by Roy, The 50 Guitars of Tommy Garrett, Foy Willing & Riders of the Purple Sage, Jim Hendricks, and Robert Wagoner. The music library at The University of Texas described the song as “an important contribution to the musical saga of the State.” Kennedy co-wrote “The Phantom Stagecoach” with Lou Singer and “Pony Express” with Vaughn Monroe (who used the pseudonym Wilton Moore). Monroe recorded both songs.
Kennedy’s popular “Down the Trail of Aching Hearts,” co-written with Nat Simon, was recorded by Patti Page, Hank Snow and others. Kennedy wrote words and music for “Roll Along Covered Wagon” performed in the 1935 Richard Dix film The Arizonan. The idea for the song came from a hugely successful novel and film called “The Covered Wagon. It was recorded by The Ranch Boys in the U.S. and by Harry Roy and others in England. And he wrote “God’s Little Candles.” The latter is not a Western composition, but Gene Autry chose to sing it in one of his movies, on radio, and on one of his TV shows. It appears on at least two of Gene’s CDs and was also recorded by Jimmy Boyd and Hank Snow.
Jimmy Kennedy was also one of the leading songwriters of the “Golden Age” of popular songs in the 1930s and 40s on both sides of the Atlantic. For example, he co-wrote several hits with Wilhelm Grosz (who sometimes used the pseudonym Hugh Williams) including “Red Sails in the Sunset,” “Harbor Lights,” and “Isle of Capri,” and Kenny wrote “My Prayer” with Georges Boulanger. These very successful compositions were recorded by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Guy Lombardo, Sammy Kay, Elvis, and the Platters among others.
But Kennedy and Carr were especially fond of “South of the Border.” Carr had worked as a cowhand in Montana and while Kennedy had not visited the U.S. when he composed the lyrics, the pair had gotten the opportunity to actually meet their movie hero, Gene Autry, the many they had in mind when the composed the song. Better still, Gene liked their song well enough to record it, leading it to its place as a Western classic.
O.J. Sikes with research assistance by Larry Hopper and Jimmy Kennedy, Jr.
Awards:
- 2013 Hall of Fame Inductees