subject: All About The House Of The Rising Sun. [print this page] Well known folk song, The House of The Rising Sun was made popular by The Animals, an English rock group. Recorded in 1964, it was a number 1 hit in Canada, Sweden, USA and the UK. It is unknown who authored the lyrics.
According to Alan Prince from the band, it was written in the 16th century about a brothel in Soho. Gwen Foster and Clarence Ashley recorded the oldest known version in 1933 after learning it from Ashley's grandfather Enoch.
Daughter of a Middelsborough miner, Georgia Turners was 16 when she was recorded singing the tune. A curator from the Archive of American Folk Song for the Library of Congress recorded her singing while he was on a visit to Kentucky. He had his recording system set up for this purpose.
Roy Acuff learned the song during the times when him and Clarence Ashley performed together. Roy made a recording of the song in nineteen thirty-eight. Later different artists modernized the song. Different lyrics and music were done.
The song was highly respected by Ralph Mclean and Dave Marsh. They declared it the first ever tune that was folk rock. It was agreed that modern music was changed because of this tune. Earlier versions were about a woman that was degraded. Later versions were about a man watching his father becoming a gambler and a drunk from being a father who loved his son. On tour with artist Chuck Berry, it was the closing number of the show. Producer Mickey Most was encouraged when he saw the reaction of fans in the show. It was eventually recorded in London in only one take.
Several charts were topped with the The House of The Rising Sun. It was considered a real Atlantic hit. On the top five hundred songs on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it was ranked number 122.
