Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town
1969 · Reprise 829 · Burbank, California
- Artist
- Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
- Title
- Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town
- Release
- Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town / Girl, Get Ahold of Yourself
- Year
- 1969
- Label
- Reprise # 829
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Burbank, California, USA
- Songwriter
- Mel Tillis
- Genre
- Country · Country
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
The country-rock song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" (Reprise Records # 0829) written by country artist Mel Tillis, told the story of a veteran disabled in that "old crazy Asian war" - presumed to be Vietnam, but also possibly a reference to the Korean War. (1) It was first released by Johnny Darrell in 1967 - "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", which reached # 9 in the Billboard country chart. This version reached # 6 in the Billboard Hot 100. (2) (3) It dealt with themes typically found in a post-Vietnam war song. The soldier said that he "was proud to...do my patriotic chore". Unfortunately, he returned to the US with his "legs...bent and paralysed". As a result, his sweetheart left him.Answer records: Dori Helms - "Ruby's Answer" (Little Darlin' Records # LD-0029) (1967). Dodie Stevens - "Billy, I've Got to Go to Town" (World Pacific # 77927) (1969).
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — US Domestic Perspective Songs
The country-rock song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" (Reprise Records # 0829) written by country artist Mel Tillis, told the story of a veteran disabled in that "old crazy Asian war" - presumed to be Vietnam, but also possibly a reference to the Korean War. (1) It was first released by Johnny Darrell in 1967 - "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", which reached # 9 in the Billboard country chart. This version reached # 6 in the Billboard Hot 100. (2) (3) It dealt with themes typically found in a post-Vietnam war song. The soldier said that he "was proud to...do my patriotic chore". Unfortunately, he returned to the US with his "legs...bent and paralysed". As a result, his sweetheart left him.Dori Helms - "Ruby's Answer" (Little Darlin' Records # LD-0029) (1967). Dodie Stevens - "Billy, I've Got to Go to Town" (World Pacific # 77927) (1969).
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
American pop group formed 1967 in Los Angeles, California ('Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town'). [Source: Wikipedia]