“Right or Wrong” is a jazz ballad from 1921…..which was composed by Arthur Sizemore and Paul Biese…. with words by Haven Gillespie….which is described by the original sheet music as “a beautiful fox-trot ballad.” The lyrics tell of the loss of a paramour….as the title comes from a refrain in the chorus:
Right or wrong, I’ll always love you Tho’ you’re gone, I can’t forget Right or wrong, I’ll keep on dreaming Tho’ I wake with that same old regret
All along I knew I’d lose you Still I pray’d that you’d be true In your heart, please just remember Right or wrong, I’m still in love with
“Right or Wrong” was recorded by many early jazz and swing orchestras….including Mike Markel and His Orchestra in 1922, Original Dixie Jazz Band in 1928, Peggy English in 1932, Tampa Red in 1936…..with the one from this era being the recording with the longest lasting influence was performed by the black-faced Emmett Miller and the Georgia Crackers in 1929….as Miller’s version was picked up by an early Bob Wills….which he turned into a standard Western swing dance tune….when in 1936, Both Wills and Milton Brown made early recordings. Western swing versions generally do not include any of the verses, only repetitions of the chorus. The song also appears on Leon Redbone‘s 1990 album Sugar.
The rendition of Right or Wrong seen in this video herewith provides the viewer with a rare piece of Texas swing music history…..as the guys playing with fiddle legend Johnny Gimble, are all Texas swing legends in their own right…..with Cliff Bruner on fiddle…..Zeke Campbell on guitar….Eldon Chandler on slide guitar….Curly Hollingsworth on piano….and J R Chatwell on fiddle, piano and singing….and when you couple all of that with the Texas swing music standard Right or Wrong…..and you’ve got a match made in Heavan.
