Lily Dale

Leroy Riggs · Post by **Leroy Riggs** » 14 Jun 2001 1:25 pm

Who wrote this and was there a reason for writing it (daughter's name, whatever)?

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 14 Jun 2001 3:17 pm

some people call this song Linda Lou.Ray price has a recording of Linda Lou.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 14 Jun 2001 4:41 pm

I'm still looking for a copy of this album by Darrel McCall. One of the best albums ever recorded. Lent mine to a student and never got it back (split town, the bast@*d).

Mitch Drumm · Post by **Mitch Drumm** » 14 Jun 2001 8:23 pm

composed by billy jack wills and tiny moore.

first recorded by billy jack wills circa late 1952/early 1953. don't know of the significance of the title.

Billy Johnson · Post by **Billy Johnson** » 15 Jun 2001 1:25 am

The Lilly Dale LP is now availible on CD.I'd contact E T record shop.

Leroy Riggs · Post by **Leroy Riggs** » 15 Jun 2001 6:47 am

Thanks. I'm not sure why I was interested but it combines simplicity with very nice tune. I really like it.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 15 Jun 2001 11:10 am

The Lily Dale album by Darrell McCall is some of the finest country music around. Buddy Emmons is Phenominal (did I spell that right?).

Tim Rowley · Post by **Tim Rowley** » 15 Jun 2001 6:03 pm

"Lily Dale" is a beautiful song that I've been appreciating for 25 years now. Mitch is correct about its authorship and first known recording. Richard is correct IMHO that Darrell McCall has the best vocal recording of it, and Buddy Emmons can play it on the steel better than anybody else I ever heard. But it's a great song no matter who does it. And "little brother Billy Jack", who also wrote the words to "Faded Love", was no slouch of a lyricist either!

Tim R.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 17 Jun 2001 6:55 pm

Hmmm....this may require more investigation.

A quick check of the PD website (a great site for finding old public-domain songs!) shows a song called "Lilly Dale..." dates back to the 1850's. I had always associated the song "Lilly Dale" with the Civil War era (much like the song "Sweet Lorena", which was used in the movie "The Horse Soldiers".) The two songs have a very similar feel.

Now, I don't know if the song called out on the website is a different song or not. The song by Billy Jack and Tiny may actually have been a re-write of an old PD song...as that has been done quite often. (Please, no flames! I'm not trying to discredit anyone...just to give additional information.)

By the way, here is the PD website...
http://www.pdinfo.com/default.htm

Leroy Riggs · Post by **Leroy Riggs** » 17 Jun 2001 7:31 pm

I know my father taught me a similiar tune on the fiddle when I was about 8-9 yrs (eons ago). But it wasn't exactly the same as this song. Maybe a newer variation of a very old song?

Thanks to all of you.

Leroy

Dayna Wills · Post by **Dayna Wills** » 21 Jun 2001 9:24 pm

I was told that Lily Dale was the love of Uncle Billy Jack's life, before he was married to Aunt Evelyn of course.

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Gary Harris · Post by **Gary Harris** » 30 Jun 2001 6:44 pm

Bob Wills recorded this song. It was written for the World War II market and I believe a writer in New Yourk is the author. I thought I could give a source for this but I can not. I am relying on my memory which has let me down many times. I have two versions of this song, one by Bobbe Semour and the other as sung by Dolly Parton from the Sleep At The Wheel album. I love both versions.

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 1 Jul 2001 4:34 am

Am I the only one that has the Ray Price version called Linda Lou? Western Strings Ray Prices Cherokee Cowboys. Columbia CL 2339. This one also has Emmons using the Pete Drake voice box on burn't fingers

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 1 Jul 2001 5:30 am

CRS I thought I had posted that this is an instrumental album with Emmons paying all the way w/ a chorus by Buddy Spicher I believe. IThose os you with a Thompson VE3 can tweek and can hear Ray singing. I also have a live version with wade ray singing when he was on th Uncle Dick Slack program in St Louis. Skeets Yaney sang harmony. Wade called it "Lily Dale"

Buddy Emmons · Post by **Buddy Emmons** » 1 Jul 2001 9:28 am

When I recorded Lily Dale with the Cherokee Cowboys, Ray Price was familiar with the song and the title. Evidently he found that the melody was either public domain, or felt it wasn't close enough to the original tune, because he renamed the song, put it in his publishing company, and had his name down as arranger.

We were parked at Ray's house when Charlie Harris brought a copy of the newly released album to the bus and said, "Boys, you ain't gonna believe this #%*%!" We looked at the back of the album and saw Ray had changed Lily Dale to Linda Lou and took credit as arranger for the entire album.

I can see Ray trying to cop a few pennies from publishing, but for a guy that couldn't tune his guitar, the only thing he could arrange was to have two fifths of Wild Turkey delivered to the sessions. We worked our fannies off putting the album together and none of us were ever quite the same after that. That was the day I dubbed Ray Price the "Lone Arranger." We were disappointed and had to salvage a laugh out of it some way, and don't think we didn't wear it out on him.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 1 Jul 2001 12:25 pm

Fred Murphy · Post by **Fred Murphy** » 1 Jul 2001 12:52 pm

I think the best version is on (Swingin by Request). Though the ablum is Buddy and Ray Pennington, the song is an instrumental.

Bill Bailey · Post by **Bill Bailey** » 1 Jul 2001 1:58 pm

Years ago Larry Behm played me a 45 record he had with Darryl Mccall singing Lilly Dale that just blew me away with Emmons all over it and ever since I have been trying to find that recording. I recently purchased a CD titled Lilly Dale from Ernest Tubbs record store and it was not the cut I remembered. This one had Willie Nelson singing with him and Buddy was way back in the mix and fiddles were the main lead, not the way I remember it. Buddy will you please share with us the history of the record where you had the lead if you can. Thanks in advance.
Bill Bailey

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[This message was edited by Bill Bailey on 01 July 2001 at 03:00 PM.]

Buddy Emmons · Post by **Buddy Emmons** » 2 Jul 2001 5:45 am

Bill,
I only remember recording the song with Darrell one time, so I can't help much at this point. When Darrell gets back in town, I'll call him and ask about the 45 version.

Bill Bailey · Post by **Bill Bailey** » 2 Jul 2001 7:26 am

Thanks Buddy, It could be my brain waves are crossed because this was around the late 70's I TINK???
Bill Bailey

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c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 2 Jul 2001 8:27 am

Thanks for your post,Buddy. Your playing on "Linda Lou" was so clean and simple. Sheer beauty. I took a copy to JB on one of my Honolulu visits and Jerry said"Wow,hot dam" nuff said CC

Greg Simmons · Post by **Greg Simmons** » 2 Jul 2001 9:57 am

The liner notes of Bear Family's Darrell McCall Box Set indicate the following session information for the version of Lily Dale included on the CD:

October 14, 1976 (14:00-17:00)
Columbia Recording Studios 804 16 Ave. S, Nashville TN
Producer: Buddy Emmons and Darrell McCall
Buddy is listed as session leader as well.

Also recorded was "Please Don't Leave Me" and "Half Beered Up and Drinking".

Song credits for Lily Dale are shown as B.J. Wills - T. Moore

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Greg Simmons
Custodian of the Official Sho~Bud Pedal Steel Guitar Website
shobud.cjb.net

Chris Schlotzhauer · Post by **Chris Schlotzhauer** » 2 Jul 2001 11:10 am

I believe the album cut by Darrel McCall is the one with Willie on it. Willie also sings on Please Don't Leave Me with Darrel. Am I right? I know it's that way on the 45.
Also, I agree about that DM album and Buddy's playing. I love the intro and turn around on Dreams of a Dreamer, into the four chord to the one (Bb to F) in the first fret position. That tone Buddy gets kills me. A very fine LP indeed.

gene brown · Post by **gene brown** » 9 Jul 2001 8:11 pm

Willie did sang with Darrell on the record. Also on the c-d,the picture of Darrell sitting on the old Ford pickup,was not on there.Something about some legal thing. The Lily Dale record is one of his best. He also did a record with Curtis Potter and Ray Sanders called Texas Dance Hall,and is a must for any country music collector. Gene Darrells biggest fan.

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 10 Jul 2001 8:06 pm

Fred,

The VERY first tune I decided to learn was the Lily Dale instrumental from the Ray Pennington and Buddy Emmons album. I had my Sierra U12 just a few weeks when I heard the tune and said.. that is beautiful. I gotta work it out. that was 6 months ago. Now I have a pretty fair arrangement of the tune. It could still use deeper harmonies, but it is coming along.

GREAT TUNE!!

Thanks for the inspiration, Buddy! What an outstanding rendition you made with that cut!
I will always remember that album and that that cut was my first tune to sit down and figure out by ear. (didn't have the tabs!) I still am learning so much from just this one tune.....

[This message was edited by Bill Fulbright on 10 July 2001 at 09:09 PM.][This message was edited by Bill Fulbright on 11 July 2001 at 08:51 PM.]