The Wayward Wind

About The Wayward Wind

"The Wayward Wind" is a country song written by Stanley Lebowsky (music) and Herb Newman (lyrics). In 1956, versions were recorded by Gogi Grant, Tex Ritter, and Jimmy Young, of which Grant's was the biggest seller in the United States and Ritter's in the United Kingdom. The song reached No. 1 on the Cash Box chart, which combined all recorded versions, while Grant's version reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart on its own. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1956. It became a Gold record. Ritter used the song to open his stage shows. In 1961, Grant's recording was reissued and reached Billboard No. 50 and Cash Box No. 78. That same year, Patsy Cline made a recording, which did not chart. In 1963, a new recording was made by Frank Ifield, which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks duration. The song made the Billboard country chart in a version by Irish flautist James Galway with American country singer Sylvia on vocals. Produced in Nashville by Bill Pursell, the single was released in 1982 and it rose to No. 57 in 1983. Members of the Western Writers of America chose the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. more »