Jump to content

Louisiana Fairy Tale

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Louisiana Fairytale)
"Louisiana Fairy Tale"
Song
Released1935 (1935)
GenreJazz
Composer(s)Haven Gillespie
Lyricist(s)Mitchell Parish, J. Fred Coots

"Louisiana Fairy Tale" (or "Louisiana Fairytale") is a song written in 1935 by Haven Gillespie, with lyrics by Mitchell Parish and J. Fred Coots, and was originally popularized by Fats Waller.[1][2]

Waller's version opens with him playing a four-bar solo piano lead-in to a clarinet melody backed by drums, guitar, clarinet, trumpet and piano. A muted trumpet bridge precedes Waller's vocal verses, and a Dixieland-style improvisational instrumental jam closes the recording.[3]

The instrumental introduction was used as the theme for Austin City Limits from 1977 to 1981 (Seasons 2-6), and the original theme for the PBS television series This Old House from 1979 to 2002 (Seasons 1-23).[4][5]

In 1990, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington presented Louisiana congresswoman Lindy Boggs with "three gifts" from the collection of the Library of Congress, including "a facsimile of sheet music for a 1935 piece, 'Louisiana Fairy Tale,' accompanied by a cassette of the music with Fats Waller on piano and vocal".[6]

In 2010, the song was part of a mid-week New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival event with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and My Morning Jacket,[7] where the entire piece was performed acoustically and without the use of electricity.[8]

The song has been performed by many artists, including Tom Sancton.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Stephen Taylor (2006). Fats Waller on the air: the radio broadcasts and discography. Scarecrow Press Inc. p. 200. ISBN 9780810856561.
  2. ^ "Stories of Standards: "You Go to My Head"". KUVO. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  3. ^ Dan Morgenstern (2004). Living with Jazz: A reader edited by Sheldon Meyer. Random House Digital. ISBN 9780307487605.
  4. ^ "This Old House - FAQs". Archived from the original on 2011-11-29. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Thomas E. Ahr (1992). "Show and Tell". Cincinnati Magazine: 27.
  6. ^ "A "Dear Wife" Comes to Library Reception", Library of Congress Information Bulletin (1990), p. 336.
  7. ^ "My Morning Jacket at Preservation Hall - Louisiana Fairytale".
  8. ^ Tad Hendrickson (May 7, 2012). "Louisiana Fairytale by Jim James and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band | Song Stories". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  9. ^ "Louisiana Fairytale - Tommy Sancton | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 1999-12-25. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
[edit]