"Walk Right In"
Single by the Rooftop Singers
from the album Walk Right In
B-side"Cool Water"
ReleasedDecember 1962 (1962-12)
Recorded1962
Genre
Length2:33
LabelVanguard
Songwriter(s)Gus Cannon, Hosea Woods
Producer(s)Erik Darling, Bill Svanoe
The Rooftop Singers singles chronology
"Walk Right In"
(1962)		 "Tom Cat"
(1963)

"Walk Right In" is a country blues song written by musician Gus Cannon and originally recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1929 by RCA Victor.[2] In 1959, it was included on the compilation album The Country Blues. Another version of the song by the Rooftop Singers, with the writing credits allocated to group members Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe, became an international hit in 1963.

The Rooftop Singers

In 1962, the American folk trio the Rooftop Singers recorded a version of the song. Group member Erik Darling recruited two friends to join him in this effort after hearing the original Cannon recording. Darling wanted the track to have a distinctive sound, so he and group member Bill Svanoe both played twelve string guitars, although they had some difficulty in acquiring the instruments. Darling is quoted as saying that prior to the making of this record, "you couldn't buy a 12-string guitar ... I ordered one from the Gibson Company, but in order to record [the song] with two 12-strings, we had to wait for the company to build a second one for Bill!" (a left-handed model).[3] The success of the song was a boon to Cannon, who was in his late 70s and had been forced to pawn his banjo the previous winter to pay his heating bill; he received royalties as a songwriter and saw renewed interest in his music, which led to a recording contract of his own.[4]

When released as a single, it spent two weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1963.[4] It spent five weeks atop the Easy Listening chart, which later became known as the Adult Contemporary chart.[3] In addition, "Walk Right In" reached both the R&B chart (peaking at No.4) as well as the country music chart, peaking at No.23.[3] The song reached No.10 on the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom.[5] It was included on the album Walk Right In, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Folk Recording.

Chart history

Rooftop Singers

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show

In 1977, a version by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show reached No.46 on Billboard's Hot 100,[7] and No.77 in Canada. For year-end charts, it was ranked No.249 on Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual[11] and No.1 in Australia[12] selling well over 50,000 units in just four weeks of release.[13]

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] 2× Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Breihan, Tom (May 11, 2018). "The Number Ones: The Rooftop Singers' "Walk Right In"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 10, 2023. ...the biggest folk single of the year was a chirpy, strummy, generally meaningless novelty version of an old jug-band song...But this is still cheesed-out whitebread pop-folk...
  2. ↑ Samuel Charters. The Country Blues. New York: Da Capo Press, 1975, p. 124.
  3. 1 2 3 Hyatt, Wesley (1999). "Walk Right In", in The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits. New York: Billboard Publications.
  4. 1 2 Bronson, Fred (2003). "Walk Right In", in The Billboard Book of #1 Hits, 5th Edition. New York: Billboard Publications.
  5. 1 2 Official Charts Company info at Official Charts Company
  6. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. January 28, 1963. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  8. ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 2, 1963
  9. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  10. ↑ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1963
  11. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  12. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 397. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ↑ "Cashbox Magazine" (PDF). Billboard. 10 December 1977. p. 52. Retrieved 10 November 2021 – via World Radio History.
  14. ↑ "Cash Box Newspaper" (PDF). Cash Box. May 27, 1978. p. 10. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via World Radio History.
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