Monday Music "Mr. Custer" By Larry Verne

 

This is a model I have on my shelf depicting the last stand of General Custer

I remember reading about General Custer when I was in the 6th grade and it caught my imagination, the small group of soldiers that were overwhelmed by the Indians and wiped out.   General Custer was considered to my mind at that time to be a great leader, it wasn't until later I realize that General Custer was a showman and sure he was bold and brazen and actually he was a glory hound,  but he also made a lot of errors like leaving behind the 2 Gatling Guns that would have made a difference.

    Now there is a bit or background on this story.  The average cavalry soldier was indifferently trained, there was no standardized training and they used the Spencer repeating rifle where there was far better rifles out there like the Winchester out there and the Indians bought those from the American traders.  The Army still used civil war rifles and equipment.  in the 1870's if I recall the Government passed a budget and forgot to include a budget for the Army so they didn't get paid, forcing the Officers to get creative to make payroll.  The Army was a refuge for the freed slaves, misfits, criminals, drifters and other people.  The Army developed a poor reputation on the frontier because of the actions of their soldiers during this time.  

                       This is my copy of that famous Ronco Record

   This song is on my copy of "Funny Bones Favorites"   i was able to find the video apparently recorded way back then....really rare to see it.  

"Mr. Custer" is a march novelty song, sung by Larry Verne, and written by Al DeLory, Fred Darian, and Joseph Van Winkle. It was a number-one song in the United States in 1960, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the issue dated October 10, 1960, and remained there for one week. It is a comical song about a soldier's plea to Custer before the climactic Battle of the Little Bighorn against the Sioux, which he did not want to fight. 

Modern critics panned the song, calling it "unlistenable",  I'm sure the non-PC of the song had a lot to do with it.  People looking at things like that through the modern optics of today. Dickheads......Or is my annoyance showing....