Released 1949 (1949) Genre Western swing Writer(s) Billy Hughes | Format 10-inch 78 rpm record Label Decca | |
"Tennessee Saturday Night" is a Western swing ballad written by Billy Hughes. The song tells of Tennesseans having a good time on a Saturday night. Each verse ends with the refrain:
They all go native on a Saturday night.Red Foley and the Cumberland Valley Boys had a hit with the song (Decca 45136), staying on the charts for 11 weeks; reaching number on March 19, 1949. Johnny Bond's recording (Columbia 20545) reached number 11 later that year.
Other artists
The Pied Pipers (RCA 20-3360) and Ella Mae Morse (Capitol 1903) also had early recordings of the song. Pat Boone released a version in 1954. Roy Clark's (Churchill 94007) reached number 85 in 1982. Other well-known recordings include those by Ernest Tubb (1961) and Jerry Lee Lewis (1967). Gene Summers released a rockabilly version of the song on his 1981 French LP Gene Summers In Nashville and performed the song on national French television that same year. The song has been recorded numerous times.