You’re listening to Adolph Hofner and his San Antonians and you’re on the Sound Beat.
Sports fans who recognize this tune might be cringing…a 1994 version by Swedish Band Rednex…yes, that’s Rednex with an x, has become a modern-day arena anthem. To some it’s probably a real toe-tapper, and to others it’s as welcome to the ears as the vuvuzuela….The Texas Rangers, though, have used the Al Dean and the All Stars version as their seventh-inning-stretch for over 40 years. The original song propagated through both the United States and Canadian folk traditions, predating the American Civil War.
Hofner and his San Antonians made this, the most popular recording of the tune in 1941. Hofner was a pioneer of Western swing, a blend of jazz, polka, folk and blues that would become, in effect, country music..
For more on the man click right here.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/webersweb/2565590420/