| Burl Ives |
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With his grandfatherly image, Burl Ives parlayed his talent as a folksinger into
a wide-ranging career as a radio personality and stage and screen actor. After
spending his early 20s traveling the country as an itinerant singer, Ives moved
to New York City in 1937. By the end of 1938, he had made his Broadway debut,
and he also sang folk songs in Greenwich Village clubs. In 1940, Ives began to
appear regularly on radio, including his own show, The Wayfarin' Stranger, on
CBS. Ives made his first records for Stinson, a small folk label, then was
signed to Decca, a major label. He made his movie debut in Smoky in 1946. In
1948, his first book, Wayfaring Stranger, was published. In 1949, he had his
first chart hit with "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)." The same year, he moved to
Columbia Records. With the advent of the long-playing record, Ives suddenly had
a flurry of LP releases from his three labels: The Wayfaring Stranger on Stinson;
three volumes of Ballads & Folk Songs, Women: Folk Songs About the Fair Sex,
Folk Songs Dramatic and Humorous, and
Christmas Day in the Morning on Decca; and
Wayfaring Stranger, Return of the Wayfaring Stranger,
More Folk Songs, American
Hymns, The Animal Fair and Mother Goose Songs on Columbia. He also recorded a
series of albums for Encyclopedia Britanica Films under the overall title
Historical America in Song. In 1951, he hit the Top Ten with "On Top of Old
Smoky." In 1952, he returned to Decca. While continuing to publish books and to
act on Broadway and in the movies, Ives made a series of albums that included
Coronation Concert, The Wild Side of Life,
Men, Down to the Sea in Ships,
In the
Quiet of the Night, Burl Ives Sings for Fun,
Songs of Ireland, Old Time
Varieties, Captain Burl Ives' Ark, Australian Folk Songs, and
Cheers, all
released in the second half of the 1950s. In 1961, Ives oriented himself toward
country music, resulting in the hit "A Little Bitty Tear," which made the Top
Ten in both the pop and country charts. The single was contained on The
Versatile Burl Ives. "Funny Way of Laughin'" was another pop and country Top Ten
in 1962; it appeared on It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin' and won Ives a Grammy
Award for Best Country Western Recording. He turned his attention primarily to
movie work from 1963 on, especially with the Walt Disney studio. But he charted
with Pearly Shells in 1964 and made a children's album, Chim Chim Cheree and
Other Children's Choices, for Disney Buena Vista Records. At the end of the
'60s, Ives returned to Columbia Records for The Times They Are A-Changin' and
Softly and Tenderly. He gave up popular recording, but returned in 1973 with the
country album Payin' My Dues Again. He also continued to record children's music
and also released several religious albums on Word Records. Turning 70 in 1979,
he became less active and finally retired to Washington State. In the '90s,
Decca and the German Bear Family label reissued many of his recordings. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide BACK |