"Allentown Jail"
Single by The Lettermen
B-side"Two Brothers"
Released1963
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Irving Gordon
The Lettermen singles chronology
"Heartache Oh Heartache"
(1963)
"Allentown Jail"
(1963)
"Where or When"
(1963)

"Allentown Jail" is a folk-style song, written by Irving Gordon.[1]

Background

The song tells the story of a man who tries to steal a diamond ring for his girlfriend, gets caught, and ends up in the Allentown jail.

Recordings

  • In 1951, Jo Stafford recorded this song. It was released as a single on Columbia Records.
  • In 1960, Kathy Linden recorded it as her first single on Monument Records.[2]
  • The Kingston Trio recorded a version in 1962, as the song became popular in the folk scene. The trio had plans of releasing it as a single, but the single never came to fruition. Their version has since been released on various CD compilations of their works.
  • In 1963, a more harmonic arrangement was performed by The Lettermen and released as a single. This version incurred some success, but only to a minor degree.

References

  1. "Song: Allentown Jail written by Irving Gordon". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  2. "Kathy Linden - Allentown Jail". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
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