“Corrine, Corrina” may have traditional roots. However, previous songs are different—musically and lyrically that is. Way back 1918 there was the commercial sheet music song “Has Anybody Seen My Corrine?” which Roger Graham published. In the same year, Vernon Dalhart recorded a vocal version while Wilbur Sweatman’s Original Jazz Band did an instrumental cover of the track. Graham’s song contains sentiments similar to “Corrine, Corrina”. In April 1926, Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded a version of “C.C. Rider” entitled “Corrina Blues”. The Mississippi Sheiks also recorded “Sweet Maggie” in the 1930s.
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Other Covers of “Corrine, Corrina”
In the year 1934, Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies recorded the song under the title “Where Have You Been So Long, Corrine”. Its music style was that of a Western swing dance song. Shortly thereafter, Bob Wills took on it again as “Corrine, Corrina”, also in the Western swing style. After his recording with the Texas Playboys on April 15, 1940, the song entered the standard repertoire of all Western swing bands. Since that moment, it influenced the adoption of “Corrine, Corrina” by Cajun bands and many other individual country artists.
“Corrine, Corrina” became a key into Western swings as it pioneered the use of electrically amplified stringed instruments. During a session in Dallas on September 28, 1935, Roy Newman and His Boys recorded “Corrine, Corrina”. Their guitarist, Jim Boyd, played the very first electrically amplified guitar found on a recording. It did not stop there though. Sometime in 1929, Clayton McMichen made a recording for the country market. Then, Cajun musician Leo Soileau followed in 1935.
Dean Martin, included the song on his second country music album Dean “Tex” Martin Rides Again in 1963. Furthermore, Asleep at the Wheel recorded the song for their 1993 album A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys with Brooks & Dunn. Their version occupied number 73 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1994.
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bob wills, corrine corrina, dean martin