Rockin' Chair (1929 song)

"Rockin' Chair" is a 1929 popular song with music composed by Hoagy Carmichael. Musically it is unconventional, as after the B section when most popular songs return to A, this song has an A-B-C-A¹ structure. Carmichael recorded the song twice, in 1929 and 1930. Mildred Bailey made it famous by using it as her theme song. Frank Sinatra recorded a definitive version.

The song was first recorded on February 19, 1929 by Hoagy Carmichael as a test for Victor Records, but not released at the time. This recording was later released on the Historical label as HLA-37. This version is sung by only one vocalist. Hoagy Carmichael and his Orchestra recorded a new version on September 15, 1930 featuring Bix Beiderbecke on cornet. This second version is with two vocalists and was released on Victor Records as V-38139B. Louis Armstrong recorded it with Hoagy Carmichael on vocals on December 13, 1929 at Okeh studios after the , giving a badly needed boost to Carmichael's finances. The recording was released as Okeh 8756 in 1930. The song utilises "call and response" to create a dialog between an aged father and his son. Armstrong performed "Rockin' Chair" numerous times in his career with his trombonist Jack Teagarden.

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