Vietnam Rotation Blues
1968 · Dee Lark 6951 · Oak Grove, Kentucky
- Artist
- Lefty Pritchett
- Title
- Vietnam Rotation Blues
- Release
- Vietnam Rotation Blues / Our Children
- Year
- 1968
- Label
- Dee Lark # 6951
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Oak Grove, Kentucky, USA
- Songwriter
- Lefty Pritchett
- Genre
- Country · Country
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
Born Claude E. Pritchett in 1931 in Alabama, he served in the US Army during the Korean War, where he "got too close to a Chinese mortar and got a brain concussion". He toured there with Tex Ritter, entertaining troops. He also served in Vietnam. He said that "if I wasn't on duty I'd start playing and singing and all the troops would come around. We'd have a big jam session". When he returned to the US he became an army recruiter, and released the country song "Vietnam Rotation Blues" (Dee Lark Records # 6951), inspired by his tour in Vietnam: "over there they wanted to hear something about coming home, so that's why I wrote the song".1 The typed notes on the company sleeve said the following promotional blurb: "May God bless you for playing Lefty Pritchett's songs: He is a veteran of over 19 years in the army. Two conflicts, Korea and Vietnam. Holds two Purple Hearts, Army Commendation Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, plus others, and has played over 400 shows for the sick and wounded in Vietnam, Korea, and the USA". Note the impressive yodeling. Released in Oak Grove, Kentucky. Distributed by Sounds of Nashville Inc., Tennessee.Sources1wrbl.com: Remember when claude pritchett↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Well I'm a lonely soldier sitting in Vietnam / The rotation coming, lord I ain't got no fears... / Back in the states...I got the rotation blues
Notes
Dee Lark Records 6951-A (SoN 73611), "Sounds of the Times"; "Vietnam Rotation Blues" (Lefty Pritchett), 2:32, Yonah Music, BMI; "Instrumental Accompaniment"; "Dist. by Sound of Nashville, Inc., 160 2nd Ave. S., Nashville, Tennessee". Gold label, signed in ink by Lefty Pritchett. The Dee Lark company sleeve (on a copy sold on eBay) is printed in red: "May God bless you for playing Lefty Pritchett's songs. He is a Veteran of over 19 years in the Army. Two conflicts, Korea and Vietnam. Holds two Purple Hearts, Army Commendation Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, plus others, and has played over 400 shows for the sick and wounded in Vietnam, Korea, and the USA. Dee Lark Records"; and below the label: "D.J.'s: If this record is not available locally, $1.00 to Dee Lark Records, Box 134, Oak Grove, Ky. 42262 brings record postage paid. Thanks". [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Born 18 May 1931, Alabama, USA. Currently Columbus, Georgia, USA