This Ole House - wikipedia This Ole House For the Shakin ' Stevens album, see This Ole House ( album ). For the television show, see This Old House. `` This Ole House '' ( sometimes written `` This Old House '' ) is a popular song written by Stuart Hamblen, and published in 1954. Rosemary Clooney 's version reached the top of the popular music charts in both the US and the UK in 1954. The song again topped the UK chart in 1981 in a recording by Shakin ' Stevens. Contents 1 Composition 2 Recordings 2.1 Other notable recordings of the song 3 References 4 External links Composition Hamblen was supposedly out on a hunting expedition when he and his fellow hunter, actor John Wayne, came across a hut in the mountains. Inside was the body of a man, and the man 's dog was still there, guarding the building. This inspired Hamblen to write `` This Ole House ''. The lyric picks up a standard Gospel theme of the `` old house '' -- the mortal body -- being left behind when the believer goes to `` meet the saints ''. Recordings The recorded version of `` This Ole House '' by Rosemary Clooney, featuring bass vocals by Thurl Ravenscroft, reached No. 1 on the Billboard on chart in 1954 as the flip side to her previous No. 1 song, `` Hey There. '' Clooney 's version also topped the UK Singles Chart, although there were other UK hit versions around by Billie Anthony and Alma Cogan, both recorded in 1954. The recording by Alma Cogan with Felix King was made in London on September 2, 1954. The song was released by EMI on the His Master 's Voice label as catalogue numbers B 10761 and 7M 269. The flip side was `` Skokiaan. '' In March 1981, Shakin ' Stevens took the song back to No. 1 for three weeks in the United Kingdom. His version was re-released in 2005 after his appearance in the TV show Hit Me Baby One More Time and reached No. 20 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was also covered by the Cathedral Quartet and Hovie Lister and the Statesmen. Both groups often made the song a medley with `` When the Saints Go Marching In. '' The song was recorded by Bette Midler ( in ballad form ) on her 2003 tribute to Rosemary Clooney, `` Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook, '' and included on her compilation `` Jackpot : The Best Bette '' in 2008. Other notable recordings of the song 1954 : Billie Anthony 1954 : Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1954 for use on his radio show and it was subsequently included in the CD Bing & Rosie : The Crosby - Clooney Radio Sessions ( 2010 ). 1956 : Stuart Hamblen on It Is No Secret 1960 : Wilma Lee Cooper & Stoney Cooper on 7 '' b / w ' Heartbreak Street ' 1962 : Hovie Lister & The Statesmen Quartet on Stop, Look & Listen for the Lord 1963 : Jimmy Dean Everybody 's Favorite 1964 : Johnny Tillotson on The Tillotson Touch 1965 : Cathedral Quartet on The Cathedral Quartet With Strings 1965 : Wilf Carter 32 Wonderful Years 1966 : The Statler Brothers on Flowers on the Wall 1967 : Mrs. Miller on The Country Soul of Mrs. Miller 1977 : Bill Gaither Trio on My Heart Can Sing -- The Inspiring Songs of Stuart Hamblen 1979 : NRBQ on Kick Me Hard 1981 : The Shadows on Hits Right Up Your Street ( Instrumental ) 1984 : Carl Perkins on Disciple in Blue Suede Shoes 1995 : The Mom and Dads on Love Letters in the Sand 1998 : Brian Setzer Orchestra on The Dirty Boogie 2000 : George Younce on Out Front 2002 : Jessica King on Where Angels Are 2004 : Loretta Lynn on Van Lear Rose 2006 : Allison Durham Speer on This Old House 2007 : Brenda Lee & Dolly Parton on Gospel Duets with Treasured Friends 2010 : Ernie Haase & Signature Sound on A Tribute to the Cathedral Quartet 2016 : Ray Stevens on Just a Closer Walk with Thee / Gospel Favorites 2017 : Bill Gaither & Gloria Gaither & Colet Selwyn on Give The World A Smile References ^ Jump up to : Rice, Jo ( 1982 ). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits ( 1st ed. ). Enfield, Middlesex : Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 15. ISBN 0 - 85112 - 250 - 7. Jump up ^ See 2 Corinthians 5 : 1 Jump up ^ Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 392. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. Jump up ^ Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 530. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. Jump up ^ `` A Bing Crosby Discography ''. BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved December 9, 2017. Jump up ^ `` allmusic.com ''. allmusic.com. Retrieved December 9, 2017. External links Lyrics to `` This Ole House '' Preceded by `` My Son, My Son '' by Vera Lynn UK Singles Chart number - one single ( Rosemary Clooney version ) November 26, 1954 Succeeded by `` Let 's Have Another Party '' by Winifred Atwell Preceded by `` Jealous Guy '' by Roxy Music UK Singles Chart number - one single ( Shakin ' Stevens version ) 28 March 1981 - 11 April 1981 Succeeded by `` Making Your Mind Up '' by Bucks Fizz Preceded by `` Jealous Guy '' by Roxy Music Australian Kent Music Report number - one single ( Shakin ' Stevens version ) June 8, 1981 Succeeded by `` Bette Davis Eyes '' by Kim Carnes Rosemary Clooney Studio albums Irving Berlin 's White Christmas ( 1954 ) Blue Rose ( with Duke Ellington ) ( 1956 ) Ring Around Rosie ( with The Hi - Lo 's ) ( 1957 ) Swing Around Rosie ( with the Buddy Cole trio ) ( 1958 ) Fancy Meeting You Here ( with Bing Crosby ) ( 1958 ) A Touch of Tabasco ( with Perez Prado ) ( 1959 ) How the West Was Won ( with Bing Crosby ) ( 1960 ) Rosie Swings Softly ( 1960 ) Clap Hands ! Here Comes Rosie ! ( 1960 ) Rosie Solves the Swingin ' Riddle ! ( 1961 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings Country Hits from the Heart ( 1963 ) Love ( 1963 ) Thanks for Nothing ( 1964 ) That Travelin ' Two Beat - Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney ( with Bing Crosby ) ( 1965 ) Look My Way ( 1976 ) Nice to Be Around ( 1977 ) A Tribute to Duke ( 1977 ) Everything 's Coming Up Rosie ( 1977 ) Rosie Sings Bing ( 1978 ) Here 's to My Lady ( 1979 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin ( 1979 ) With Love ( 1981 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Cole Porter ( 1982 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Harold Arlen ( 1983 ) My Buddy with Woody Herman ( 1983 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Irving Berlin ( 1984 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings Ballads ( 1985 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Jimmy Van Heusen ( 1986 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Johnny Mercer ( 1987 ) Show Tunes ( 1989 ) Rosemary Clooney Sings Rodgers, Hart & Hammerstein ( 1990 ) For the Duration ( 1991 ) Girl Singer ( 1992 ) Do You Miss New York ? ( 1993 ) Still on the Road ( 1994 ) Demi - Centennial ( 1995 ) Dedicated to Nelson ( 1996 ) White Christmas ( 1996 ) Mothers & Daughters ( 1997 ) At Long Last ( with the Count Basie Orchestra ) ( 1998 ) Brazil ( with John Pizzarelli ) ( 2000 ) Sentimental Journey : The Girl Singer and Her New Big Band ( 2001 ) Live albums The Last Concert ( 2002 ) Soundtrack albums Red Garters ( 1954 ) Songs `` Come On - a My House '' `` Tenderly '' `` Half as Much '' `` Botch - a-Me ( Ba - Ba - Baciami Piccina ) '' `` Blues in the Night '' `` Hey There '' `` Mambo Italiano '' Related Discography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=This_Ole_House&oldid=814539732 '' Categories : 1954 singles 1981 singles UK Singles Chart number - one singles Number - one singles in Australia Songs written by Stuart Hamblen Shakin ' Stevens songs Rosemary Clooney songs Stoney Cooper songs Wilma Lee Cooper songs Stuart Hamblen songs 1954 songs Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Nederlands Norsk Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 9 December 2017, at 12 : 00. 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Question: who sang this old house in the 1950s
Answer: Rosemary Clooney