ANDREW McBRIDE AUTHOR: AUTHOR FAVOURITES: THE TAINTED DOLLAR by CHRIS DERRICK

Wednesday 8 August 2018

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: THE TAINTED DOLLAR by CHRIS DERRICK

Chris Derrick (like me, a Brit who writes westerns) is one of many authors to tell me he likes his first novel best.

THE TAINTED DOLLAR introduces U.S. Marshall Jake Base, raised by the Cheyenne, who comes to Laredo, Texas in the 1850s in pursuit of two killers. In the course of his manhunt Jake encounters bar room brawls, brutal murder, cattle rustling and the lovely Maria Sanchez. Throughout everything one thing remains constant, the one silver coin: The Tainted Dollar.

Laredo features in 'The Streets of Laredo,’ the TV miniseries from Larry McMurtry’s novel, with JAMES GARNER.

It was also the central location for the tongue in cheek TV western series ‘Laredo’ (1965-67.)

NEVILLE BRAND in action in ‘Laredo’

DUSTIN HOFFMAN played a white man raised by the Cheyenne in ‘Little Big Man.’

On TV we’ve also had western heroes raised by the Cheyenne:

CLINT WALKER starred in the long running (1955-1963) series ‘Cheyenne.’ This show was the first hour-long Western, and was the first hour-long dramatic series of any kind, with continuing characters, to last more than one season.

The character portrayed by KURT RUSSELL in ‘The Quest’ had also been raised by the Cheyenne.

I couldn’t resist having a sidelong glance at the song, ‘Streets of Laredo,’ also known as the ‘Cowboy's Lament’, in which a cowboy tells his story as he lays dying.

The lyrics appear to be primarily descended from an Irish or English folk song of the late 18th century called ‘The Unfortunate Rake.’ The same tune is more or less used in the Irish lament ‘Bold Robert Emmet’ the blues tune ‘St. James Infirmary’ and the sea shanty ‘Spanish Ladies.’

FRANK H. MAYNARD, who worked as a cowboy on the Southern Plains between 1872 and 1881, claimed he put new words to what became ‘Cowboy's Lament’ as early as 1876. The song was first published in 1910 in JOHN LOMAX’s Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads.

Recordings of the song have been made by scores of artists including JOHNNY CASH, ROY ROGERS, MARTIN ROBBINS through to MERCURY REV and SUZANNE VEGA. I would have liked more of HARRY CAREY JR.’s haunting rendition in JOHN FORD’S 1948 movie ‘Three Godfathers.’

Here’s BURL IVES’s version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs-1npQ0jM8