Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms

"Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms" is an American traditional song. It seems to have developed from lyrics in the cowboy song "My Lula Gal",[1] itself a development of bawdy British and Appalachian songs generally known as "Bang Bang Rosie" or "Bang Away Lulu."[2][3]

"Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms"
Single by Buck Owens
from the album Ruby
B-side"Corn Liquor"
ReleasedAugust 1971
GenreCountry, bluegrass, country rock
Length2:19
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)trad.
Producer(s)Buck Owens
Buck Owens singles chronology
"Ruby (Are You Mad)"
(1971)
"Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms"
(1971)
"I'll Still Be Waiting for You"
(1972)

The Flatt & Scruggs version was first released as a single by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, on December 14, 1951. Buck Owens released his cover version "Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms" in August 1971 as the second single from his album Ruby. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[4] It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.[5]

Versions

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  • The earliest recorded version is that of Buster Carter and Preston Young, 1931, with Posey Rorer on fiddle.[citation needed]
  • Maury Finney's 1976 version peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[6]

Chart performance

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Buck Owens

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Chart (1971) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 2
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1

Leon Russell (as Hank Wilson)

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Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 74
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 57
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] 78
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 30

Maury Finney

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Chart (1976) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 76

References

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  1. ^ Logsdon, Guy. The Whorehouse Bells Are Ringing and Other Songs Cowboys Sing, pp. 154 ff. 1995 reprint of UIP (Champaign), 1989. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
  2. ^ Cray, Ed. The Erotic Muse: American Bawdy Songs 2nd ed., p. 173 ff. UIP (Champaign), 1999. Accessed 13 Jan 2014.
  3. ^ A separate development produced the children's rhymes "Miss Lucy had a baby" and "Miss Susie had a steamboat".
  4. ^ "Buck Owens singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  5. ^ "RPM Country Singles for November 13, 1971". RPM. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 262. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 732.