I had always thought that tonights TV/Movie Musical moment had been written specifically for the film it is remembered for. But I found out some years later that just wasnt the case at all. This song was actually recorded in 1969 for both the TA label and its parent Bell label by a Canadian group called The Original Caste. The track went to number 6 on the RPM Magazine charts and hit the number 1 position on CHUM AM in Toronto, and reached number 34 on the American pop charts in early 1970. In 1971, the song was re-recorded by the U.S. group Coven and used as the theme song, almost an anthem for this movie which was actually a sequel to the first one of the series. The song once again shot up the charts to number 26 before it was inexplicably pulled by the producer. Why? Not really sure. The explanation seems a bit murky: ********* Jinx Dawson of the band Coven sang the song at a 1971 session with the films orchestra as part of the soundtrack for the Warner Brothers movie Billy Jack. Dawson asked that her band, Coven, be listed on the recording and film, not her name as a solo artist. This Warner release, titled as One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack) reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1971. The full Coven band then re-recorded the song for their MGM album. Thus the MGM album containing a second version of this song displayed their whited-out faces on the cover, contrived again by the films producer Tom Laughlin. The recording then hit the charts again in 1973. The Coven recording was named Number One All Time Requested Song in 1971 and 1973 by the American Radio Broadcasters Association. ************* This particular producer, writer, director, and actor often did things that were sometimes a mystery to the rest of us. He was his own person, and did things his own way, often bucking the system to get it done. Im talking of course about Tom Laughlin, who died just last December. I may have put the song up then, but if I did it wasnt as part of this series. Laughlin introduced us to the character of Billy Jack in the film Born Losers. He then penned, produced, co-wrote with his wife, Dolores Taylor, the sequel simply called Billy Jack. Laughlins battles with the studios are legendary. Regarding this film: Billy Jack is a 1971 action/drama independent film; the second of four films centering on a character of the same name which began with the movie The Born Losers (1967), played by Tom Laughlin, who directed and co-wrote the script. Filming began in Prescott, Arizona, in the fall of 1969, but the movie was not completed until 1971. American International Pictures pulled out, halting filming. 20th Century-Fox came forward and filming eventually resumed but when that studio refused to distribute the film, Warner Bros. stepped forward. Still, the film lacked distribution, so Laughlin booked it in to theaters himself in 1971. The film died at the box office in its initial run, but eventually took in more than $40 million in its 1973 re-release, with distribution supervised by Laughlin. Theres a lot to be written about both Laughlin and the Films. I think he would be a pretty interesting subject for a biographical film. Although my feelings regarding the Billy Jack movies is mixed (again hoping to write in depth about them some day), they are worth viewing at least once as much of what was in them seemed a contradiction to some. But to see the contradictions, is to not understand the character himself, who always struggled between becoming a pacifist, and doing what was necessary in regards to his existence. And on another note, this song was performed by Sonny and Cher on their variety show, using an animated version of the song. I always remembered that as well. So tonights TV/Movie musical moment is the classic One Tine Soldier performed by Coven from the legendary film Billy Jack, co-written by Tom Laughlin and Dolores Taylor, Directed by Tom Laughlin, and Produced by Tom Laughlin. (And despite this persons description, it is not a true story). youtu.be/FDu6HYWdxkQ?t=43s
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 08:55:35 +0000
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