W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Dough Boys)

"W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Doughboys)" is a song written by James Talley and originally recorded by Johnny Cash for his Jack Clement–produced 1987 album Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town.

"W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Dough Boys)"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town
A-side"Letters from Home"
B-side"W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Dough Boys)"[1]
ReleasedNovember 1987 (1987-11)[2] or December 1987 (1987-12)[1]
GenreCountry
LabelMercury 870 010-7
Songwriter(s)James Talley
Producer(s)Jack Clement[3]
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"Let Him Roll"
(1987)
"W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Dough Boys)"
(1987)
"Get Rhythm"
(1988)
Audio
"W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Dough Boys)" on YouTube

Released in late 1987 together with "Letters from Home" as the fourth and last single from the album,[4][2][3][1] the song reached number 72 on U.S. Billboard's country chart for the week of December 26.[4][5][6]

Content

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The song talks about a band called Light Crust Doughboys.

In the words of C. Eric Banister (Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black), even though it was a good song, it "probably led a lot of listeners wonder, 'Who?'", since the band it was about "hadn't been popular since the mid-1930s."[4]

Track listing

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7" single (Mercury 870 010-7, 1987)[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Letters from Home"Jack Wesley Routh, John Charles Crowley3:18
2."W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Dough Boys)"James Talley2:45

Charts

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Chart (1987) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 72

References

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  1. ^ a b c Smith, John L. (1994). The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. p. 17. ISBN 9780313295065.
  2. ^ a b "W. Lee O'Daniel (And the Light Crust Dough Boys)". Johnny Cash official site. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  3. ^ a b c "W. Lee O'Daniel (And The Light Crust Dough Boys)". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-10-10. W. LEE O'DANIEL (AND THE LIGHT CRUST DOUGH BOYS) (James Talley) JOHNNY CASH From the Mercury album #422 832 031-1 Q-1 "JOHNNY CASH IS COMING TO TOWN" ℗ 1987 PolyGram Records, Inc. // LETTERS FROM HOME (Jack Wesley Routh / John Charles Crowley) JOHNNY CASH From the Mercury album #422 832 031-1 Q-1 "JOHNNY CASH IS COMING TO TOWN" ℗ 1987 PolyGram Records, Inc.
  4. ^ a b c C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2. OCLC 946709700.
  5. ^ "Johnny Cash". Billboard.
  6. ^ "Hot Country Songs Chart (The week of December 26, 1987)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  7. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
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