"Pride Of The Prairie" is a popular song written in 1907 with music by
George Botsford
George Botsford (February 24, 1874 – February 1, 1949) was an American composer of ragtime and other forms of music.
Early life and education
Botsford was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sioux Falls, Dakota Territory. He grew up mostly ...
and lyrics by Henry J. Breen. The lyrics tell of a cowboy's love for Mary, the "Pride of the Prairie".
Recordings
The song was first recorded by popular singer
Billy Murray in 1908. Later recordings include versions by many country and folk acts, including Aaron Campbell's Mountaineers,
Tex Owens
Tex Owens (June 15, 1892 – September 9, 1962) was an American country music singer and songwriter, best remembered today for writing the Eddy Arnold hit Cattle Call. The youngest of thirteen children, he was born Doie Hensley Owens in Killeen, T ...
, and
Patsy Montana.
Historical significance
Botsford wrote the music for the song while working for a publisher in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
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* ...
, where he met Breen incidentally. It wound up launching his career as a composer, as its success resulted in securement of a contract with J. H. Remick & Co., for whom he later wrote 1908's
Black and White Rag, which sold over 200,000 copies.
Like many Western-themed songs produced by
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
around the time,
the song capitalized on the trends of a time when farming was beginning to take off in the
Western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau.
As American settlement i ...
. In addition, its release came one year after the introduction of the
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...
, and accessibility to long-distance travel spurred the advent and popularization of
cowboy tourism. Sales reflected this popularity, as the sheet music sold over 300,000 copies.
Early recordings of the song were not by country or folk singers, but mainstream East Coast singers such as Billy Murray.
Historian Jim Walsh called the song "one of the best of all cowboy songs".
Lyrics
The lyrics to the chorus are:
:''Pride of the prairie, Mary my own,''
:''Jump up beside me, ride to my home''
:''My heart's been lassoed,''
:''No more we'll roam,''
:''Pride of the prairie, Mary.''
:''(repeat)''
[Breen, "Pride Of The Prairie" (Sheet music).]
References
Bibliography
*Breen, Henry J. (w.); Botsford, George (m.). "Pride Of The Prairie" (Sheet music). Detroit: Jerome H. Remidck & Co. (1907).
External links
"Pride Of The Prairie" Billy Murray (Edison Gold Moulded 9968, 1908)—
Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project'.
Songs about cowboys and cowgirls
1907 songs
Western music (North America) songs
Songs written by George Botsford
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