Jones was born on the 14th December 1911 in Long Beach, California. He got his nickname by being so thin that he was compared to a railroad spike. At the age of eleven he got his first set of drums. As a teenager he played in bands that he formed himself. A railroad restaurant chef taught him how to use pots and pans, forks, knives, and spoons as musical instruments. He frequently played in theatre pit orchestras. In the 1930s he joined the Victor Young orchestra, and thereby got many offers to appear on radio shows including Al Jolson's Lifebuoy Program, Burns and Allen, and Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall. From 1937 to 1942, he was the percussionist for the John Scott Trotter Orchestra, which played on Bing Crosby's first recording of " White Christmas".
The City Slickers evolved out of the Feather Merchants, a band led by vocalist-clarinetist Del Porter, who took a back seat to Jones duing the embryonic years of the group. They made experimental records for Cinematone Corp. and performed publicly in Los Angeles, gaining a small following. The original members of the band included vocalist-violinist Carl Grayson, banjoist Perry Botkin, trombonist King Jackson, and pianist Stan Wrightsman.
The band signed a recording contract with RCA Victor in 1941 and recorded extensively for the company until 1955. They also starred in various radio programmes (1945-1949) and television programmes (1954-1961) on both NBC and CBS.
Jones's second wife, singer Helen Grayco, performed in his stage and television shows. Jones had four children, Linda (by his first wife, Patricia), Spike Jr, Leslie Ann, and Gina. Spike Jr. is a producer of live events and TV broadcasts. Leslie Ann is the Director of Music and Film Scoring at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in Marin County.
The very name of Spike Jones became synonymous with crazy music. While he enjoyed the fame and prosperity, he was annoyed that nobody seemed to see beyond the craziness. Determined to show the world that he was capable of producing legitimate, "pretty" music, he formed a second group in 1946. Spike Jones and His Other Orchestra played lush arrangements of dance hits. This alternative group played nightclub engagements and was an artistic success, but the paying public preferred the City Slickers and stayed away. Jones wound up paying some of the band's expenses out of his own pocket.
The one outstanding recording by the Other Orchestra is "Laura", which features a serious first half (played exquisitely by the serious group), and a manic second half (played hilariously by the City Slickers).
Jones died on the 1st May 1965 in Beverly Hills, California.
Red Wing
Spike Jones & His City Slickers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
who sang all day a love song gay as through the fields she'd while the hours away.
She loved an Indian brave this shy little prairie maid
and then one day he rode away to battle far away..
Chorus
Oh the moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing,
the breeze is sighing, the night birds crying,
and Red Wings's crying her heart away.
She watched for him day and night,
She kept all the campfires bright,
And under the sky,
Each night she would lie,
And dream about his coming by and by
But when all the braves returned the heart of Red Wing yearned
for far far away her warrior brave fell bravely in the fray.
chorus
Now the Moon shines tonight on pretty Redwing,
the breeze is sighing, the night birds crying,
for a far'neath his star her brave is sleeping,
while Redwing's weeping her heart away.
The lyrics to Spike Jones's song Red Wing are a tragic tale of a young Native American woman named Red Wing who falls in love with an Indian Brave. She spends her days singing a happy love song as she dreams of her Brave, but tragedy strikes when he rides off to battle and never returns. The chorus describes how the moon shines brightly on Red Wing, as she mourns the loss of her brave who died bravely in the battle. Despite watching for him day and night, and keeping campfires bright, he never returned. The second verse describes how Red Wing's heart yearned for her warrior brave and how she dreamed about his return, only to find out that he had died in the battle.
The lyrics of Red Wing are full of rich imagery, painting a picture of a beautiful, yet tragic love story. The song's use of repetition, with the chorus being sung twice, drives home the loss and sadness that Red Wing feels. The lyrics are a reminder of the pain and sorrow that war brings, not just to those who fight, but to the loved ones left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
There once was an Indian maid a shy little prairie maid
There was a young Native American woman who lived humbly on the grasslands
who sang all day a love song gay as through the fields she'd while the hours away.
She would sing a happy love song as she passed the time by tending to the fields
She loved an Indian brave this shy little prairie maid
She was in love with a Native American warrior
and then one day he rode away to battle far away..
He left to take part in a faraway battle
Chorus
Recurring lines of the song
She watched for him day and night,
She kept watch for him all hours of the day and night
She kept all the campfires bright,
She made sure to keep the campfires going
And under the sky,
Under the open sky
Each night she would lie,
She would lie down each night
And dream about his coming by and by
And hope and wish for his eventual return
But when all the braves returned the heart of Red Wing yearned
However, when all the other warriors returned home, Red Wing's heart still longed for her love
for far far away her warrior brave fell bravely in the fray.
He had fought bravely in the distant battle, but he had passed away
Now the Moon shines tonight on pretty Redwing,
Now the moonlight shines on Red Wing
the breeze is sighing, the night birds crying,
The wind is blowing and the birds are making sad sounds
for a far'neath his star her brave is sleeping,
Her love is now asleep far beneath the stars
while Redwing's weeping her heart away.
And Red Wing is now crying her heart out in sorrow
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: THURLAND CHATTAWAY, KERRY MILLS, EDMUND KING JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind