Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody

"Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" is a popular song written by Jean Schwartz, with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young. The song was introduced in the Broadway musical Sinbad and published in 1918.

Probably the best-known recordings of the song were by Al Jolson (who introduced it and version reached #1^[1]), Sammy Davis, Jr. (who frequently sang it in his live shows), and Judy Garland. It was also a hit for Jerry Lewis in 1956. Brenda Lee recorded her version of the song for her 1959 album Grandma, What Great Songs You Sang!. Aretha Franklin also recorded a lesser-known version of this song^[2] for her album "The Electrifying Aretha Franklin", which reached #24 in Cash Box and #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961.^[3]

In the 1950s, it was issued on the Peter Pan Records label, aimed at children, on a 45 RPM record as the flip side of "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)".

Also Cher recorded the song for her album Bittersweet White Light (1973) and in 1974 Lena Zavaroni recorded it for her album Ma! (He's Making Eyes At Me).

Sample lyric:

A million baby kisses I'll deliver

If you will only play that "Swanee River"

Rock-a-bye your rock-a-bye baby

With a Dixie melody

Harvey Fierstein sang it to Katie Couric during her last day hosting the Today show, with the modified lyrics "Rock-a-bye your rock-a-bye Katie with a goodbye melody".

Kerry Ellis has sung it on two occasions on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night.

Harry Schmerler, Chicago's "Singing Ford Dealer," sang the first line in the intro to many of his commercials in the '70s and '80s. Schmerler died in 1997.

Renditions

• Rufus Wainwright – Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall (2007)

References