Denver Darling

Antiwar songs by Denver Darling
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Denver DarlingFormer New York City radio cowboy Denver Darling is best remembered for his patriotic World ‎War II songs. Darling -- his real name -- was born in Whopock, Illinois, and raised in Jewett. When ‎he was twelve, a neighbor introduced him to the guitar. Seven years later, he began working at a ‎radio station in Terre Haute, Indiana. Over the next six years, Darling sang at several Midwestern ‎radio stations, and at the end of 1937 came to New York City, where he would spend most of his ‎career. When not appearing on the radio two or three times daily, he would perform at the well-‎known country nightclub the Village Barn, from which performances were occasionally broadcast ‎nationally.

In November 1941, Darling made his recording debut; in the midst of his second session, World ‎War II erupted. His subsequent patriotic songs, such as "Cowards Over Pearl Harbor," "The Devil ‎and Mr. Hitler," and "When Mussolini Laid His Pistol Down," were designed to inspire troops and ‎provide comfort for their families back home. Over the next five years, he released 36 singles, not ‎all of them were patriotic; Darling also recorded under the name of Tex Grande and his Range ‎Riders. His final sessions were in 1947 when he cut 12 singles for MGM, after which he began ‎having throat problems and grew uncomfortable with big city life. He and his family moved back to ‎Jewett, where Darling lived as a farmer for the next 30 years. Although his war songs were very ‎popular at the time, they have largely faded into obscurity.‎

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