TENNESSEE Waltz

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 29 Jan 2002 12:28 pm

Last night I noticed that credits for writing the above song showed: "COPAS, KING
Stewart". This was on a Cowboy Copas King label.
However, on Pee Wee King's RCA record, "Copas'" name had been dropped from the credits.
HOW CAN THIS BE and/or, is this different from plagerism?
Searching for answers?

Al Johnson · Post by **Al Johnson** » 29 Jan 2002 1:29 pm

As far as I know, the only only place that showed up was on the Copas recording. I've read stories about how Pee Wee and redd wrote the words. Never did they mention Copas. They are listed as the writers. Strange things happen on record/CD labels as for as giving credit to writers is concerned. Sometimes the wrong person gets credit, sometimes nobody when we all know that somebody wrote the song. Cowboy Copas worked with Pee Wee King and the band at one point, but not sure what year. Al

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 29 Jan 2002 1:40 pm

According to the Harry Fox Agency, who deals regularly with performance and recording rights, Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart wrote "Tennessee Waltz".
See SongFile Website for more info -- or to look up other songs.

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<small>Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Emmons D-10 9x9, 1971 Dobro

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 29 Jan 2002 2:20 pm

Tennessee Waltz was definitely written by Stewart and King. Cowboy Copas moonlighted as a song buyer for Sid Nathan of King records, in an era when buyers and record company owners routinely claimed credit for songs they had no part in composing. The story is that Copas actually turned down Tennessee Waltz, however, because the composers were asking too much money (fifty dollars, I think it was), so I'm not sure how Copas might've ended up getting a composition credit. In any event, he had no role in writing the song.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 29 Jan 2002 2:21 pm

Moving this to the Music forum from No Peddlers.

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Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 29 Jan 2002 4:48 pm

Maby not Tennessee Waltz but if you see anything of Pee Wee's with Price as a co writer it would be Chelton(?)

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Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 29 Jan 2002 5:11 pm

I'll agree with the Stewart/King credit. There are, however, some very famous songs that have been bought (by very famous stars...for next to nothing), and when the stars filed the papers, the song became "their song".

It does happen!

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 29 Jan 2002 7:15 pm

That's why Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen gave no credits on 'Family Bible' as the buyer had gotten their name on it, while some other guy whose name might seem familiar had no rights to it at the time.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 30 Jan 2002 8:05 am

What gets printed on a record, liner notes, or CD booklet can have little or no bearing whatsoever on who actually wrote the song. It's really up to the publisher of the song, and the licensing agencies involved in collecting the bucks to police this matter.

Frequently, the record company simply asks the artist "who wrote this song?" and writes down whatever he's told. Then the package gets sent to the printer without the necessary research to find out who the actual writers are taking place.

Example: I wrote a song in 1975 when I played with Alvin Crow called "Nyquil Blues," and it was recorded 3 or 4 times by various artists, and Alvin cut it two or three times himself. Anyway, last year a band in New Mexico recorded it, and it showed up on the label as being written by "Crow, Roller, Steiner." Alvin had nothing to do with writing it, and Gary Roller was only the bass player that played on the original recording.

I contacted the bandleader and asked him how he determined who the songwriters were, and he said "uh, gee, some guy just told me that, uh, Alvin, like... uh, he wrote it, and I, uh.. think Gary had something to do with it, didn't he?"

In other words, anything can get printed on a recording, and it's up to the publisher's attorneys to sort it out, should the recording ever get to the point where enough money is being made to make it worth anyone's while to call a lawyer in the first place. Which is usually not the case.

Of course, Tennessee Waltz is definitely a song worth protecting the rights of the author.

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Perry Hansen · Post by **Perry Hansen** » 30 Jan 2002 8:49 am

The word I got years ago was that Copas wrote the song and didn't like it so he sold it to Pee Wee. Maybe Bobby Koffer can clear it up. I believe he was with Pee Wee around that time.
Perry

Al Johnson · Post by **Al Johnson** » 30 Jan 2002 7:03 pm

To Make it short in the Pee Wee King bio he tells about him and Redd writing to words on a match box cover, they had written the music to it sometime before and used it as an instrumental waltz. they wrote the words in 1946 RCA finally let them record it in 1948 and Patti Page recorded it in 1951, Pee Wee said that was their great one The Tennessee Waltz" Pee Wee and Redd wrote quite a number of songs, who knows, Pee Wee could be right.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 30 Jan 2002 11:56 pm

Talk about odd credits, I once saw a cheapo Charlie Parker compilation cd with a track titled as "Be-Bop-A-Lula" credited to Gene Vincent and Tex Davis. I never realized Parker recorded rockabilly "post mortum".

Gary Harris · Post by **Gary Harris** » 2 Feb 2002 9:16 am

Isn't it wonderful that Pee Wee King and Red Stewart wrote the big Jo Stafford hit with lyrics that says, "See the Pyramids and the market place in old Agliers". Two country music guys coming up with words that would do Ervin Berlin proud. Do you argue with success? The Gallatin, Tennessee house painter that wrote, "Achy Breakie Heart" will never have to clean another brush unless of course he invested in Enron. It was said at the time he would make over a million on this song. A church friend of mine has written eight number one hits and says he is still below tha million dollar mark. His father co-wrote the Charlie Pride hit, "Anyone going to San Antone".