Released 1945 (1945) Writer(s) Paul Westmoreland | Genre Western swing | |
"Detour (There's A Muddy Road Ahead)" is a Western swing ballad written by Paul Westmoreland in 1945. The original version was by Jimmy Walker with Paul Westmoreland and His Pecos River Boys, issued around the beginning of November 1945.
The title comes from the repetition of detour in the chorus:
Written in the first person, the song tells of the singer's regrets for the choices made in life.
Spade Cooley (Columbia 36935), with Tex Williams on vocals, had a big hit with it in 1946, spending 11 weeks on the country charts, reaching number two. Other artist scoring big with the song in 1946 included Wesley Tuttle, number three Elton Britt, number five, and Foy Willing, number six.
A well-known version of the song was the popular recording by Patti Page in 1951. It was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 5682, and first entered the Billboard chart on August 4, 1951, staying for 16 weeks and peaking at number five.
Notable cover versions were recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets for Warner Bros. Records (1960; not released as a single), Ella Fitzgerald with Herb Ellis, Dean Martin on his 1965 album Houston and an Instrumental version by Duane Eddy, on his album "Have 'Twangy Guitar Will Travel" (1958).
In 2016, American singer Cyndi Lauper recorded "Detour" with Emmylou Harris for her album Detour.