Deck of Cards has been recorded umpteen times by umpteen
different artists. Every single version is horrible. The story, of how a
soldier uses a pack of playing cards as a stand in for the Bible, first
appeared at least two hundred years before anyone got around to recording it: he
earliest known reference was written by Mary Bacon, a British farmer's wife, on
20 April 1762, and can be found in Mary Bacon's World, published by
Threshold Press in 2010. The story was also included in 1865 book The
Soldier's Almanack, Bible And Prayer Book. In that version the usually
anonymous soldier is given a name, Richard Middleton.
The version I bring you today was recorded by Linn Burton, best
known to US readers as a radio announcer and DJ, working initially in Chicago. In
later years he became a well-known face on TV, doing live ads for furniture
stores and car dealerships for over a quarter of a century. Born Burton Adolph
Ofstie in Minneapolis, in the 1960s he also branched out into restaurant
ownership with Linn Burton's Steak House.
Burton’s version does not credit Tyler and uses a different
tune. It has no writer credit, only ‘adapted from the original English story’
printed on the label under the title. The disc is first mentioned in Billboard
in April 1958, just a week or so after the Tyler version begins to get any
coverage. The flip side of Burton’s release, Letter to Mother, was
getting more notice than Deck of Cards, offering someone else the
perfect opportunity to sweep in and steal its thunder.
Did Tyler hear Burton’s version and decide to claim it as
his own, or was it the other way around? We’ll probably never know. Tyler has
gone down in the annals of recording history as having been the originator, and
Burton’s version has been consigned to the trash can… until now.
Anyway, here are both sides of the 1948 Linn Burton release, Deck of Cards and A Letter to Mother.
Enjoy!
Download Deck HERE
Download Mother HERE
