Gone Fishin' (song)

Gone Fishin' is a song written by Nick and Charles Kenny and recorded by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong in 1951.^[1][2]

The song had been published in 1950 and was recorded by Arthur Godfrey,^[3] The Three Suns with Texas Jim Robertson,^[4] and by the Johnny Guarnieri Quintet ^[5] in 1950. None of these recordings charted.

The Crosby recording came about when the singer had Armstrong as a guest on his radio show which was being taped on April 19, 1951 for broadcast on April 25 that year. As was customary, the songs to be used in the broadcast were taped in advance as a back-up in case the live broadcast versions did not go well.^[6] The song was so well received that Decca Records decided to issue the pre-recording commercially and it charted briefly in June 1951 with a peak position of #19.^[7] Crosby used the song in his concert performances in 1976 singing it with comedian Ted Rogers. The duet with Louis Armstrong is still heard frequently on radio.

The song was later recorded by Pat Boone, Gene Autry and The Manhattan Transfer.^[8]

References

1. Karen S. Welborn (April 19, 2006). "Gone fishin' instead of just a-wishin'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch
2. Jim McElhatton (Nov 3, 2002). "Quite a Character". The Press of Atlantic City
3. "The Billboard". June 3, 1950.
4. "The Billboard". July 1, 1950.
5. "The Billboard". July 22, 1950.
6. Macfarlane, Malcolm (2008). "Bing Crosby - Through the Years". Sleeve notes for CD. Two - 1951.
7. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 112. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
8. "The Best Fishing Songs of All Time - 15. Bing Crosby/Louis Armstrong (1951)- Gone Fishin'". Outdoor Life. Bonnier Corp. April 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2011.