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Recording of first country music hit (Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane)

"The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" (Roud 2473) is a popular song written by Will S. Hays in 1871 for the minstrel trade.

"The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" (Roud 2473) is a popular song written by Will S. Hays in 1871 for the minstrel trade. Written in dialect, the song tells of an elderly man, presumably a slave or former slave, passing his later years in a broken-down old log cabin. The title is from a refrain: "de little old log cabin in de lane".

The song itself was popular, resulting in several answer songs, but the melody was even more widely used, including songs set in the cowboy West: western songs ("The Little Old Sod Shanty on the Claim", "Little Joe, The Wrangler"); railroad songs ("Little Red Caboose Behind the Train"); and even hymns ("The Lily of the Valley").

The Ballad Index by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle lists more than 20 recordings of the song from 1903 to 1940.

Historical Significance

"The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" (Roud 2473) is a popular song written by Will S.

Events Before

  1. British Columbia, Canada, starts driving on the right-hand side of the road

    British Columbia, Canada, starts driving on the right-hand side of the road

  2. Insulin is first used on humans when Frederick Banting injects 14-year-old Canadian Leonard Thompson to treat his diabet

    Insulin is first used on humans when Frederick Banting injects 14-year-old Canadian Leonard Thompson to treat his diabetes

  3. James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" is first published by Sylvia Beach in Paris (1,000 copies)

    Ulysses is a modernist novel by the Irish writer James Joyce. Partially serialised in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, the entire work was published in Paris…

  4. American founder of the Chicago Bears football team George Halas (27) weds Minnie Bushing

    American founder of the Chicago Bears football team George Halas (27) weds Minnie Bushing

  5. Great Britain issues the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence, ending its protectorate over Egypt and grantin

    Great Britain issues the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence, ending its protectorate over Egypt and granting the country nominal independence while reserving control over military and diplomatic matters

Events After

  1. Charlie Munger is born

    Charlie Munger, American businessman, known for american businessman, was born on 1924-01-01.

  2. Grossdeutsche Volksgemeinschaft and Völkische Block replace the banned NSDAP

    Grossdeutsche Volksgemeinschaft and Völkische Block replace the banned NSDAP

  3. German-Swiss poet and novelist Hermann Hesse (36) weds Swiss soprano and painter Ruth Wenger (26); divorce in 1927

    German-Swiss poet and novelist Hermann Hesse (36) weds Swiss soprano and painter Ruth Wenger (26); divorce in 1927

  4. 1st Winter Olympic Games open in Chamonix, France

    The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games (French: Iers Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Chamonix 1924 (Arpitan: Chamôni 1924), were a winter multi-sport...

  5. Vladimir Lenin is placed in a Mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow

    On Monday, 21 January 1924, at 18:50 EET, Vladimir Lenin, leader of the October Revolution and the first leader and founder of the Soviet Union, died in Gorki aged 53 after falling into a coma.

More from the 1920s

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Isaac Asimov is born

Isaac Asimov, American writer and biochemist, known for american writer and biochemist, was born on 1920-01-02.

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Charlie Munger is born

Charlie Munger, American businessman, known for american businessman, was born on 1924-01-01.

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Vernon L. Smith is born

Vernon L. Smith, American economist and nobel laureate, known for american economist and nobel laureate, was born on 1927-01-01.

Byelorussian Communist Organization is founded as a separate party

The Byelorussian Communist Organisation was a communist group in Belarus, led by Usievalad Ihnatoŭski.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 14, 1923?
"The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" (Roud 2473) is a popular song written by Will S. Hays in 1871 for the minstrel trade. Written in dialect, the song tells of an elderly man, presumably a slave or former slave, passing his later years in a broken-down old log cabin.
Why is Recording of first country music hit (Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane) significant?
"The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" (Roud 2473) is a popular song written by Will S.

Explore More

June 14 in HistoryYear 1923