Product Description
The song tells a folk tale of a cowboy who has a vision of red-eyed, steel-hooved cattle thundering across the sky, being chased by the spirits of damned cowboys. One warns him that if he does not change his ways, he will be doomed to join them, forever "trying to catch the Devil's herd across these endless skies".
Stan Jones said he was told the story when he was 12 years old, by an old Native American Apache. He related this story to a boyhood friend. As both boys were looking at the clouds one day, Stan shared the story with him, both looking in amazement as the cloudy shapes were identified as the "ghost riders". Years later the story was transposed into lyrics. The melody is based on the Civil War-era popular song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home".
Ghost Riders In The Sky has a haunting quality that will capture the imaginations of children of all ages from young to old!
Hundreds of performers have recorded this song, including Vaughn Monroe, Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Lawrence Welk, Frankie Laine, Burl Ives, The Outlaws, The Ramrods, Stan Jones, and Johnny Cash.
Learning tracks and the Orchestral Accompniment Track (MP3) available at no cost from the arranger: AAR@prodigy.net
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.