In Ole Oklahoma / Ragtime Cowboy Joe Pinky Tomlin
Written and recorded by Truman "Pinky" Tomlin in 1938. It was Tomlin's winning entry in the "New State Song" contest sponsored by the Oklahoma Junior Chamber of Commerce that year. He was already a well-known songwriter and performer in musical film featurettes. Perhaps because of his Oklahoma background (growing up in Durant, attending OU) and his fame, in addition to the quality of the song, his entry caused the judging to stop and the other 500 contestants to become also-rans.
At the end of August, 1938, there was a public performance of "In Ole Oklahoma" by the Federal Symphony Orchestra in Oklahoma City, in a program called "A New State Song is Born." The sheet music, published that same year, proclaimed "A new Oklahoma state song is born and dedicated to Will Rogers" with a stylized image of the late Oklahoma humorist. "Sponsored by Oklahoma State Junior Chamber of Commerce" also appeared on the cover.
Tomlin recorded the song for Decca on August 15, 1938, along with his rendition of "Ragtime Cowboy Joe." The songs were issued on two Decca 78-rpm singles, 2104 (blue-silver label, released in late 1938 or early 1939) and 25296 (black-gold label, released in 1942). The first of these said on the label "Official Oklahoma State Song Dedicated to WILL ROGERS."
Some people believe that "In Ole Oklahoma" was the official state song until the legislature adopted the Rodgers and Hammerstein "Oklahoma!" But in 1935, three years before Pinky Tomlin's composition won the contest, the Oklahoma legislature adopted "Oklahoma, A Toast" by Harriet Parker Camden as the state song. And it was that which the Rodgers and Hammerstein song replaced in 1953.
Was "In Ole Oklahoma" a state song? Although the Oklahoma State Junior Chamber of Commerce did not have governmental power, it was a state-wide organization, and its contest declared the winning composition the "New State Song." Usually the word "official" indicates governmental action. According to an August 2, 1938, article in the OKLAHOMAN, the state's largest daily newspaper, the "New State Song" designation was strictly unofficial.
Pinky Tomlin's recording of his song has not been included in any LP record, CD, or mp3 download. It is not currently available commercially, except for used copies of the 1938 and 1942 records. Although I do not hold the copyright to this music, it is presented here for educational and historical purposes, and does not compete with the interests of any copyright holder.
Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
Wherever I may be,
Wherever I may roam,
I always seem to see
The place I call my home.
In Ole' Oklahoma
Beneath the western skies,
Where folks all say "Hi, Stranger"
And friendship never dies.
In Ole' Oklahoma
Where Cowboys sing all day,
The Indians play their tom-toms
Without a word to say.
Coyotes on the hill-top
Tell their lonesome tale,
They say "Settle down, you dogies,
It's twilight on the trail."
In Ole' Oklahoma
Beneath the western sky,
I've lived there until now, boys
I'll live there till I die.
1938
Pop / Folk, World, & Country / Vocal / Country
