| "Old Rivers" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Walter Brennan | ||||
| from the album Old Rivers | ||||
| B-side | "The Epic Ride of John H. Glenn" | |||
| Released | March 1962 | |||
| Recorded | 1961 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:44 | |||
| Label | Liberty Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Cliff Crofford | |||
| Producer(s) | Snuff Garrett | |||
| Walter Brennan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Old Rivers" is a country music song written by Cliff Crofford which tells the story of a man recalling a childhood friendship with an elderly farmer. The song was most famously recorded as a recitation by actor and recording artist Walter Brennan.
Released in March 1962, "Old Rivers" — prominently featuring The Johnny Mann Singers as the backing choir over Brennan's recitation of the refrain — became a top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, Easy Listening, and Hot C&W Sides charts by the end of May.
The song was also recorded by Jimmy Dean, Dave Dudley and Red Sovine.
Country-rock band Alabama used the line from "Old Rivers" at the beginning of their song "Mountain Music": "... one of these days I'm gonna climb that mountain...", albeit via an impersonation of Brennan's voice by guitar technician Bob Martin.
This song is sampled in Dickie Goodman's novelty Break-in record called "Ben Crazy (1962), based on the successful TV show "Ben Casey".