Keep On The Sunny Side: A Song History

← Back to Browse By Song

"Keep on the Sunny Side" began as a gospel song. Ada Blenkhorn wrote the words and J. Howard Entwisle wrote the music, and it was published in 1899 in Bright Melodies, a Philadelphia songbook compiled by John R. Sweney and Entwisle.[1][2] Blenkhorn (1858–1927) was born in Cobourg, Ontario, and moved with her family to the United States in 1884. She settled in Cleveland, and as a Methodist she began writing hymn texts in her mid-thirties. Hymnary.org now lists nearly four hundred of them.[3] Entwisle was a Philadelphia musician and songbook editor who worked with William J. Kirkpatrick to promote gospel songs in the 1890s.[4] The song weighs life's troubles against its brighter side and urges the listener to stay hopeful, trusting that hard times will pass.[5] The Traditional Ballad Index points out that it should not be confused with other "sunny side" songs, including a 1906 popular song and a 1918 song by Tillit S. Teddlie.[5]

Painting of a broad valley glowing in warm evening light, with shade trees and harvested grain fields

George Inness, Peace and Plenty, oil on canvas, 1865. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain (CC0).

The song entered country music through the Carter Family. A.P., Sara and Maybelle Carter recorded it for Victor in Camden, New Jersey, in May 1928, at the same two-day session that produced "Wildwood Flower."[6] Victor issued it as 21434.[5] In the 1930s, when the Carters broadcast on “Border Radio” stations in Mexico, it became their signature song and often opened their programs.[7] The family connection has lasted. A.P. Carter's headstone at Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church in Hiltons, Virginia, shows a record labeled with the song's title above his name.[8]

Other artists recorded it later. The Ballad Index lists a Mac Wiseman recording on Dot, for example.[5] A recording by the Whites appears on the soundtrack album of the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?[9]

Find books with Keep On The Sunny Side for sale →

Sources

  1. Hymnary.org: "Keep on the Sunny Side of Life".
  2. Hymnary.org: "[There's a dark and a troubled side of life] (Entwisle)".
  3. Hymnary.org: "Ada Blenkhorn".
  4. Hymnary.org: "J. Howard Entwisle".
  5. The Traditional Ballad Index: "Keep on the Sunny Side".
  6. Library of Congress, National Recording Registry: "‘Wildwood Flower’—The Carter Family (1928)" (essay by Cary O'Dell).
  7. Birthplace of Country Music: "‘Keep on the Sunny Side’ Recorded and released by The Carter Family in 1928".
  8. Birthplace of Country Music: "From Rhinestones to Tombstones: Memorial Monuments of Country Music's Dearly Departed".
  9. Lost Highway Records: "O Brother, Where Art Thou? (CD)".