Claude King (born 5 February 1923, Keithville, Louisiana, near the city of … Read Full Bio ↴Claude King (born 5 February 1923, Keithville, Louisiana, near the city of Shreveport) is an American country music singer and songwriter.

[edit] Career
At a young age, he was interested in music but his primary interest was athletics. He purchased a guitar at the age of 12 and although he learned to play it, most of his time was devoted to sport. This eventually resulted in being offered a baseball scholarship to the University of Idaho at Moscow.

King later returned to Shreveport and joined the Louisiana Hayride, a popular TV and radio show broadcast in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, produced in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Louisiana Hayride ranked second only to the Grand Ole Opry in terms of television and radio importance in the early 1950s to the 1960s and King was frequently billed on the same shows with other famous legends such as Elvis Presley, John Ritter's father, Tex Ritter, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, Jimmie Davis, Slim Whitman, Faron Young, Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, George Jones and Lefty Frizzell, among many others who became big music stars in the 1960s.

King recorded a few songs for Gotham Records, although none were successful. In 1961, he became more serious about a musical career and signed with the Nashville, Tennessee division of Columbia Records. He struck immediately, cutting "Big River, Big Man", a country Top 10 and even a small pop crossover success. He soon followed with "The Comancheros" inspired by the movie of the same title, starring John Wayne. It was a Top 10 country hit in late 1961, also crossing over to the pop charts.

King made his "career" recording in the spring of 1962. "Wolverton Mountain", written with Nashville veteran Merle Kilgore, was based on a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on Wolverton Mountain in Arkansas. The song became an immediate hit, going to No.1 for nine weeks during its 26-week run on the Billboard Country charts. It was also a pop Top 10.

King followed up that year with an American Civil War song, "The Burning Of Atlanta" which also went Top 10 on the country charts and again generated a lot of interest on the pop lists. In late 1962, he recorded "I've Got The World By The Tail" which narrowly missed the country Top 10.

He had another good year in 1963, scoring three solid country hits with "Sheepskin Valley", "Building a Bridge" and "Hey Lucille!". The hits continued in 1964 with "Sam Hill" and in 1965 he was back in the Top 10 with "Tiger Woman", co-written by Merle Kilgore. King also did well that year with "Little Buddy". His smooth country style continued to find a flavor throughout the decade, especially songs like "Catch a Little Raindrop" and the Top 10 "All For The Love Of A Girl" in 1969. His singles continued to hit the country charts through 1972. He left the label in 1973 after having accomplished 29 hits.

Besides a successful career recording and touring, King also performed as an actor in several movies, and like his nephew, Chris Aable, King is also among a minority of actors who are members in both the Screen Actors Guild and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He appeared in the 1982 television miniseries The Blue and the Gray and appeared in several feature films. King is no relation to another actor by the same name, born in 1875 in England.

In 1981, Arkansas Governor Frank D. White paid tribute to King and his big 1962 hit by declaring August 7 "Wolverton Mountain Day". By that time, King had almost retired from recording.

After being absent from recording for over 20 years, King recently released a new CD called Cowboy in the White House. Most of the songs were written or co-written by him. Elvis Presley's guitarist, James Burton performed guitar for the release.

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The Battle Of New Orleans
Claude King Lyrics

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In eighteen-fourteen we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississipp'
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans
We fired our guns and the British kept a comin'
Wasn't night as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico

We looked down the river and we seen the British come
And there must've been a hubdred of 'em beatin' on the drum
They stepped so high and they began to sing
We stood beside the cotton bails and didn't say a thing
We fired our gun...

Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire a musket till we looked 'em in the eyes
We held our fire till we seen their faces well
Then we opened up our aquirrel guns and really gave 'em hell
We fired our guns...

Yeah they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico

We fired our cannon till the barrel melted down
Then we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round
We filled his head with cannonballs and powdered his behind
And when we took the powder off the 'gator lost his mind

We fired our guns and the British kept a comin'...
Yeah they ran through the briars...

Overall Meaning

"The Battle of New Orleans" by Claude King is a narrative song that tells the story of the historical battle between American forces, led by Colonel Andrew Jackson, and the British forces that took place in New Orleans in 1815 during the War of 1812.

The song begins by setting the scene in 1814, as the American troops, accompanied by Colonel Jackson, embarked on a journey down the Mississippi River. They carried necessary supplies like bacon and beans. As they reached New Orleans, they found themselves faced with a British invasion. The Americans opened fire on the British, who initially kept advancing. However, after the Americans fired another round, the British started retreating, fleeing down the Mississippi River towards the Gulf of Mexico.

The second verse describes the arrival of the British forces. They were numerous, marked by the sound of the drums. However, instead of engaging in conversation or confrontation, the Americans stayed quiet and huddled behind cotton bales. Following the orders of Colonel Jackson, they waited for the right moment to strike. As soon as they looked into the eyes of the British soldiers, they unleashed a barrage of fire from their squirrel guns, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy.

In the final verse, the song takes a more lighthearted tone. The British troops, overwhelmed by the fierce American resistance, started running through briars, brambles, and bushes at an incredible speed, evading any attempts to catch them. The Americans continued firing their cannons until the barrels melted, symbolizing their unrelenting defense. In a moment of humor, they even fought an alligator, filling its head with cannonballs and powder, causing it to lose its mind. The song culminates with the repetition of the refrain, emphasizing the American victory in the Battle of New Orleans.

The Battle Of New OrleansClaude King Lyrics

The Battle Of New Orleans
Claude King Lyrics