“That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)” – By Haven Gillespie and Harry Beasley Smith.

This song was first recorded in 1949 by Frankie Lane, who hit #1 and spent 22 weeks on the Billboard charts. There were a quite a few recordings in 1949 of the song, including versions by Vaughn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong. There are other notable versions by Jerry Garcia, Johnny Cash and of course, Ray Charles. In 2007 former Beach Boy Brian Wilson premiered a song cycle based on this song on stage in London.

James Lamont “Haven” Gillespie, born in 1888, was a Tin Pan Alley lyricist. Some of his best known songs included “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “You Go to My Head,” “Beautiful Love,” and “Honey.” His first hit was in 1925 with “Breezin’ Along With the Breeze,” recorded by Josephine Baker. His songs have also been recorded by Dean Martin, Michael Jackson, Sarah Vaughn, Bruce Springsteen and George Strait. He was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1972.

Composer Harry Beasley Smith began his career in the 1880’s and worked with Victor Herbert. He wrote a number of Broadway shows between 1901 and 1927. He wrote “The Sheik of Araby,” one of the most recorded songs of all time, even recorded by the Beatles early in their career. Smith also worked as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. His final show, 1932’s Marching By, unfortunately closed as a flop.