1955 BILLY VAUGHN The Shifting Whispering Sands Parts 1 & 2 KEN NORDENE narration - 78 RPM Record

Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra – The Shifting Whispering Sands (Part 1 and Part 2)
Written by Vivian Clark Gilbert and Mary Margaret Hadler
78 RPM audio transfer from the Bowness Arts collection of vintage records.

Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra – The Shifting Whispering Sands
Label: Quality 1414 (Canada)
Format: Vinyl, 10", 78 RPM
Released: 1955
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country

Billy Vaughn was an American musician, singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records. He was born Richard Smith Vaughn on April 12, 1919, in Glasgow, Kentucky, where his father was a barber who loved music and inspired young Vaughn to teach himself how to play the mandolin at the age of three. Vaughn went on to learn a number of other instruments, including guitar and alto saxophone, his primary instruments. In 1941, Vaughn joined the United States National Guard, and was a valued musician and composer at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where he played with the base's Thirty-Eighth Division Big Band for the duration of the war. After the war, Vaughn decided to make music his career and attended Western Kentucky State College, majoring in music composition. In 1954, Vaughn joined Dot Records in Gallatin, Tennessee, as the music director. He subsequently formed his own orchestra, which had a hit single in the same year with "Melody of Love." The song sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Vaughn went on to have many more hits over the next decade and a half and became the most commercially successful orchestra leader of the rock era. He charted a total of 36 albums and 42 singles on the Billboard charts, often based on the sound of two alto saxophones and guitar as his trademark. Vaughn was also popular internationally, with 19 top 40 hits in Germany. He also charted in India, New Zealand, Italy, Australia, Latin America, and Japan. Vaughn died of peritoneal mesothelioma at Palomar Hospital in Escondido, California, on September 26, 1991, aged 72.

The Shifting Whispering Sands is a poem and Western-style song that was penned by Vivian Clark Gilbert and his wife, Mary Margaret Hadler. The piece has gained widespread popularity through numerous recordings and was a top song in the United States in both 1955 and 1962. The Western Writers of America recognized it as one of the Top 100 Western songs ever composed. The poem and song commence with an unidentified man, who is prospecting for gold in the Western United States, wandering into a deserted area known as the "valley of the shifting, whispering sands". The man describes the environment as desolate and frightening. After spending several days and weeks in the valley, during which he uses up all his food and water, he manages to escape in some unknown manner. He believes that he has been spared for a reason and pays his "final debt" by sharing what he has learned in the desert. The narration concludes, and the song reprises the man's experience. The entire work takes approximately six minutes to perform. Some recorded versions exclude the narration, while others include it and the song in various orders. The song was created in 1950, and it charted twice in 1955 with versions by both Rusty Draper, and this version with Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra. Ken Nordine, whose voice was often used for voice-overs and on recordings, featured on Vaughn's version. The song was re-released by Billy Vaughn under the same name in 1962, with the Ray Conniff Singers providing vocals and narration once again by Ken Nordine. Throughout the years, numerous artists have recorded the song, including Johnny Cash, Lorne Greene, and Eamonn Andrews.

Note: The first 78 RPM record came into existence around 1894, and in 1912, the Gramophone Company established 78 rpm as their recording standard. The production of shellac records continued throughout the 78 rpm era, with "unbreakable" 78 rpm vinyl records being introduced in the 1940s. The popularity of the 33 1/3 rpm "Long Play" record, initially released in 1948, caused the 78 rpm record to become obsolete before the end of the 1950s. As these 78 rpm recordings are quite old, they may contain derogatory language and/or negative stereotypes. It is important to evaluate such recordings within their historical context and consider them as a reflection of the attitudes prevalent at the time. These recordings form an integral part of the historical record and do not represent the views of this poster, channel, or Bowness Arts.