Cruising Down the River
Encyclopedia
Cruising Down the River is a 1946 popular recording song.
Words and music were by Eily Beadell and Nell Tollerton, two middle-aged women who wrote the song in 1945. It became the winner of a public songwriting competition held in the UK. One of the original early recordings of this song issued in the UK in January 1946 on the Columbia record label (F B 3180), was by Lou Praeger and his orchestra, with vocal by Paul Rich, This was immensely popular on radio, with record and sheet music sales making it one of the biggest hits of 1946 in the United Kingdom.
The recording by Russ Morgan
was released by Decca Records
as catalog number
24568. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 18, 1949 and lasted 22 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1. The song became one of the biggest hits of his career, as well as one his signature songs. The recording was actually a two-sided hit, as the flip side, "Sunflower," also reached #10 on the chart.
The recording by Blue Barron
was released by MGM Records
as catalog number 10346. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 21, 1949 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1.
The recording by Jack Smith
was released by Capitol Records
as catalog number 15372. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 25, 1949 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at #14.
The recording by Primo Scala and the Keynotes was released by London Records
as catalog number 356. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on March 4, 1949 at #27, its only week on the chart.
The recording by Frankie Carle
was released by Columbia Records
as catalog number 38411. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on April 22, 1949 at #28, its only week on the chart.
It has been redone numerous times by various artists, including Connie Francis
on her 1959
album My Thanks to You.
Words and music were by Eily Beadell and Nell Tollerton, two middle-aged women who wrote the song in 1945. It became the winner of a public songwriting competition held in the UK. One of the original early recordings of this song issued in the UK in January 1946 on the Columbia record label (F B 3180), was by Lou Praeger and his orchestra, with vocal by Paul Rich, This was immensely popular on radio, with record and sheet music sales making it one of the biggest hits of 1946 in the United Kingdom.
The recording by Russ Morgan
Russ Morgan
Russ Morgan was a big band orchestra leader and musical arranger in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:...
was released by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
24568. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 18, 1949 and lasted 22 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1. The song became one of the biggest hits of his career, as well as one his signature songs. The recording was actually a two-sided hit, as the flip side, "Sunflower," also reached #10 on the chart.
The recording by Blue Barron
Blue Barron
Blue Barron , born Harry Freidman, was an American orchestra leader in the 1940s and early 1950s during the "Big Band" era....
was released by MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
as catalog number 10346. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 21, 1949 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1.
The recording by Jack Smith
Jack Smith
-In sport:*Jack Smith , 19th century footballer in 1892–1895*Jack Smith , English player with Wolverhampton Wanderers and others* Jack Smith , English international footballer...
was released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
as catalog number 15372. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 25, 1949 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at #14.
The recording by Primo Scala and the Keynotes was released by London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
as catalog number 356. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on March 4, 1949 at #27, its only week on the chart.
The recording by Frankie Carle
Frankie Carle
Frankie Carle – , born Francis Nunzio Carlone, was a American pianist and bandleader. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard"."Sunrise Serenade," however, was Carle's best-known composition, rising to No...
was released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog number 38411. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on April 22, 1949 at #28, its only week on the chart.
It has been redone numerous times by various artists, including Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
on her 1959
1959 in music
-Events:*January 5 – The first sessions for Ella Fitzgerald's George and Ira Gershwin Songbook are held.*January 12 – Tamla Records is founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan....
album My Thanks to You.