{"id":22576,"date":"2023-11-17T15:25:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T15:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=22576"},"modified":"2023-12-19T07:13:26","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T07:13:26","slug":"little-old-church-in-the-valley-the","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/little-old-church-in-the-valley-the\/","title":{"rendered":"Little old church in the valley, The"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1931<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Gus Kahn, G. Arnold, E. Van Alstyne<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN16746<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Griffiths Moss, Billie Manders, Stan Stafford and others.<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Keble, Gordon; England : Suffolk : 1972
Brazil, Harry; England : Gloucestershire; 1977
Smith, Florence; Canada : Quebec : 1977
Ling, Ruby England : Suffolk : Aldeburgh 1975-1980
Ryder, Mr. E.C.; England : Hampshire : 1982
Ryder, E.C. (Charlie) & Mrs.; England : Hampshire : 1983<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Little Old Church in the Valley\nBy Gus Kahn, Gene Arnold, Egbert Van Alstyne\n\nMy memory has painted a picture for me\nIn colours of silver and blue\nAnd framed in the gold of the dear \"Used To Be\"\nI see the old church that I knew\n\nIn the little old church in the valley\nWhere I first learned of sorrow and joy\nI can see mother there \nWith her head bowed in prayer\nAs she prayed for her wandering boy\nIt was there that I first found my Sally\nLike an angel on earth so it seems\nWhen she sang sweet and low in the long long ago\nIn the little old church of my dreams<\/em>\n\nThe old friendly faces are near to me now\nThe same old sweet songs greet my ears\nThe Parson is praying, the heads gently bow\nAnd slowly my eyes fill with tears\n<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A song from the 1930s written and composed by Gus Kahn and Egbert Van Alstyne, songwriters associated with America’s Tin Pan Alley. Gene Arnold, a well-known radio announcer, was also given a writing credit. It’s hard not to suspect that this was a form of “payola” \u2013 a bribe given by a music publisher to ensure airplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the United States it was equally likely to be sung by cowboy crooners or dance band singers. In Britain it was widely performed in the summer of 1931 in seaside variety shows, not strictly speaking Music Hall, but closely related. Amongst a myriad of performers, early adopters included Griffiths Moss, who performed it with his concert party at the Palladium Llanduudno, and Billie Manders’ who performed it with his troupe The Quaintesques at the Amphitheatre Rhyll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song featured in the repertoire of a number of a number of traditional performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here  it is sung by Turner Leighton and Clarence “Tandy” Johnstone, African-American performers who enjoyed huge success in England between the mid-1920s and mid 30s<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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