In this series, we are going to bring you voices from the past – recordings recently found of four of our speakers from the years 1973-1975.
This first voice is a musical one, that of Jimmy Driftwood on July 28, 1975. Records of the Society do not reveal the name of the building at whose dedication Driftwood is speaking.
Jimmy Driftwood was a school teacher who was also a songwriter. His most famous song was “Battle of New Orleans” and sings it during this speech. He also sings and discusses old ballads. For those of you who are not Southerners, when Driftwood speaks of “ambeer” he is talking about tobacco juice.
Driftwood (born James Corbitt Morris, 1907-1998) was one of the original members of the Grand Ole Opry and was instrumental in establishing the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas which preserves Ozark Mountain culture. The Center has since been absorbed by the Arkansas State Park System.
When the “Battle” was recorded by Johnny Horton it stayed 21 weeks on top of the pop and country charts and was awarded a Grammy for the Song of the Year in 1960. He received Grammy awards for others of his songs such as “Wilderness Road”, “Tennessee Stud”, and “Songs of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb.”
This recording is the exclusive property of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society. It is made available for your personal use only and may not be used for any other commercial or non-commercial purposes, including any public performance, broadcasting, or copying of this recording. If you have any questions about how this recording may be used, please contact the President of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society at info@jacksonpurchasehistoricalsociety.org.