Detour (song)

"Detour (There's A Muddy Road Ahead)"
Song by Jimmy Walker
Form	Western swing
Writer(s)	Paul Westmoreland
Language	English

"Detour (There's A Muddy Road Ahead)" is a Western swing ballad written by Paul Westmoreland in 1945. The original version was by Jimmy Walker with Paul Westmoreland and His Pecos River Boys, issued around the beginning of November 1945.

The title comes from the repetition of detour in the chorus:

Written in the first person, the song tells of the singer's regrets for the choices made in life.

"Headed down life's crooked road Lots of things I never knowed, And because of me not knowin', I now pine. Trouble got in the trail, Spent the next five years in jail, Should have read that detour sign." (chorus)

Spade Cooley (Columbia 36935), with Tex Williams on vocals, had a big hit with it in 1946, spending 11 weeks on the country charts, reaching #2. Other artist scoring big with the song in 1946 included Wesley Tuttle, #3, Elton Britt, #5, and Foy Willing, #6.

A well-known version of the song was the popular recording by Patti Page in 1951. It was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 5682, and first entered the Billboard chart on August 4, 1951, staying for 16 weeks and peaking at #5.

Notable cover versions were recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets for Warner Bros. Records (1960; not released as a single), Ella Fitzgerald with Herb Ellis, Dean Martin on his 1965 album Houston and an Instrumental version by Duane Eddy, on his(1958) album "Have 'Twangy Guitar Will Travel".

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