"Just Bummin' Around" was a hit song for
Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. He was the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand as well as the spokesman for its TV commercials.
He became ...
as "Bumming Around" in 1952 reached No. 5 in the
Billboard Country charts. Another version by
T. Texas Tyler
David Luke Myrick (June 20, 1916 – January 28, 1972), known professionally as T. Texas Tyler, was an American country music singer and songwriter primarily known for his 1948 hit, "The Deck of Cards".
Biography
Myrick was born just outside ...
also reached the No. 5 spot in the same charts in 1953.
The song was written by Pete Graves. Graves, who also recorded the tune, is quoted as saying that he took lyrics from a rodeo song he had written when he was a rodeo rider, including the lines free as a breeze, I do as I please, nothing to lose and not even the blues, and added them into "Just Bummin' Around." Graves also said he pulled the line "I got an old slouch hat" from an
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, " Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...
song, "Blue Eyed Jane." He said he waited on Tubb to sue him but he didn't.
Other recordings
The song was later recorded by American singer
Dean Martin
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
in 1965 and included as the B side of his single ''
Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
''. He included it on his 1965 album ''
(Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You
"(Remember Me) I'm The One Who Loves You" is a song written and originally sung by Stuart Hamblen, which he released in 1950. The song was a hit for Ernest Tubb the same year, and Dean Martin in 1965. Johnny Cash also covered it on his 1957 debu ...
'' and it was reprised by him in the 1967 television special, ''
Movin' With Nancy
''Movin' with Nancy'' is a television special featuring Nancy Sinatra in a series of musical vignettes featuring herself and other artists. Produced by Nancy's production company, Boots Enterprises, Inc., and sponsored by Royal Crown Cola, the s ...
'', starring Nancy Sinatra. The television special was released to home video in 2000.
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signi ...
recorded the song in 1965 but it was not released until it was included in the compilation CD set ''Yesterday and Today'' in 1993.
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music.
He started his career as a songwriter for Connie Fran ...
was another who recorded the song in 1965 and this remained unreleased until it turned up on the album ''Bobby Darin - The Unreleased Capitol Sides'' in 1999.
References
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1966 songs
1968 singles
Dean Martin songs
Song recordings produced by Bob Gaudio