“The Deck of Cards” is a recitation song that was popularized in the fields of both the country and popular music, first during the late 1940s. This song, which relates the tale of a young American soldier arrested and charged with playing cards during a church service, first became a hit in the U.S. in 1948 by country musician T. Texas Tyler. (More from Wikipedia)
WPTF had a late-night country music show back then that was aimed at truckers, called Interstate 68 (the station is at 680 on the AM dial); it was hosted by Hap Hansen. They took requests, so most of the songs were charming oldies, but there were also other recordings that were unusual to say the least. Besides “Here Come the Rattlesnakes” by Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters, they played numerous routines by legendary country comedian Jerry Clower that often featured the crew of Ledbetters that he hung with back in the day; “Telephone Call from God” by Jerry Jordan about a man picking up the phone and finding God on the other end (you never actually hear God, but Johnny Carson can be heard briefly in the background – a newer hit version came out later that mentions Jay Leno instead); and a 1948 monologue by Tex Ritter called “Deck of Cards” about a soldier caught spreading out cards in church (sample dialogue: “The Marshal said to the sergeant, ‘Why have you brought this man here?’ ‘For playing cards in church, Sir.’ ‘And what do you have to say for yourself son?’ ‘Much, Sir’, replied the soldier. The Marshal said, ‘I hope so, for if not, I shall punish you more than any man was ever punished.’”) – I don’t have Tex Ritter’s version, but I do have the one by Rusty Draper.
(November 2014)
