A report on The Weavers and Tzena, Tzena, Tzena
After hearing Pete Seeger performing Tzena, with The Weavers as backing, Gordon Jenkins made an arrangement of the song for the Weavers with English lyrics.
- Tzena, Tzena, TzenaThe group had a big hit in 1950 with Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene", backed with the 1941 song "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena", which in turn became a best seller.
- The Weavers3 related topics with Alpha
Goodnight, Irene
1 links20th-century American folk standard, written in time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1933.
20th-century American folk standard, written in time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1933.
In 1950, one year after Lead Belly's death, the American folk band The Weavers recorded a version of "Goodnight, Irene".
It was a national hit, as was the A-side, a version of Tzena, Tzena, Tzena; sales were recorded as 2 million copies.
Gordon Jenkins
1 linksAmerican arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s.
American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s.
Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Harry Nilsson, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald.
Their most notable collaboration was a version of Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene" (1950) backed by Jenkins' adaptation of the Israeli folk song, "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena".
Pete Seeger
0 linksAmerican folk singer and social activist.
American folk singer and social activist.
A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene", which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950.
On the flip side of "Irene" was the Israeli song "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena".