Remember the Alamo (song)

"Remember the Alamo" is a song written by Texan folk singer and songwriter Jane Bowers. Bowers details the last days of 180 soldiers at the Alamo and names several famous figures who fought at the Alamo, including Mexican general Santa Anna and Texans: Jim Bowie, William Barrett Travis and Davy Crockett. It champions the Texans' efforts against Mexico to establish an independent republic.

Tex Ritter first released the song as the b-side of "Gunsmoke" in 1955. It was the first song in the catalogue of his and Johnny Bond's music company Vidor Publications. Ritter's recording was used in the film "Down Liberty Road" the following year. While the song was never a hit single and did not initially make a big impact on the folk community, it has since been covered by many important folk and country artists.

Covers

<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: -->

The Kingston Trio's recording

The Kingston Trio met Jane Bowers while playing shows in Austin, Texas in the late 1950s. They went on to record several of her songs, including "Remember the Alamo". The song was released with slightly different lyrics on their 1959 album At Large, which subsequently reached #1 on the Billboard pop album charts in the United States.

Johnny Cash's recording

In the early 1960s Johnny Cash recorded "Remember the Alamo" with Tex Ritter's original lyrics. He also utilized different instrumentation from the...
Read More