The Wayward Wind

"The Wayward Wind" is a country song written by Stanley Lebowsky and Herb Newman.

In 1956 versions were recorded by Gogi Grant, Tex Ritter, and Jimmy Young, of which Grant's was the biggest seller in the United States and Ritter's in the United Kingdom. The song reached #1 on the Cash Box chart, which combined all recorded versions, but must have got most of that popularity from the Gogi Grant version, which reached #1 on the Billboard chart on its own. The song is one of only two songs that were major hits for Grant, the other being "Suddenly There's a Valley".

In 1961 Gogi Grant's recording was reissued and reached Billboard #50 and Cash Box #78. That same year, Patsy Cline made a recording, which did not chart.

In 1963 a new recording was made by Frank Ifield, which reached #1 on the UK charts.

The song made the Billboard country chart in the 1980s in a version by Sylvia, with accompaniment by James Galway.

Recorded versions

• Gogi Grant (1956) #1 #9
• Tex Ritter (1956) #28 #8
• Jimmy Young (1956) #27
• Shirley Bassey (1956)
• Gene Vincent (1958) on his Capitol Records album A Gene Vincent Record Date
• Carl Mann (1959)
• Sam Cooke (1960) on his album Hits of the '50s
• Patsy Cline (1961) on her album Patsy Cline Showcase
• The Everly Brothers (1961) on their album Both Sides of an Evening
• Slim Whitman (1962) on his album Country Style
• Frank Ifield (1963) #1 #16 #3 #104
• The Browns (1964) on their album This Young Land
• Connie Francis (1967) on her album My Heart Cries for You
• Frankie Laine (1968) on his album Take Me Back to Laine Country
• Connie Smith (1978) on her album New Horizons
• Crystal Gayle (1978) on her album When I Dream
• Neil Young (1985) on his album Old Ways (album reached #75 on the Billboard Top 200, #24 on Top Country Albums)
• Anne Murray (1993), on her album of 1950s pop cover versions, Croonin' (#7 on RPM Country Tracks, #70 on RPM 100, #6 RPM Adult Contemporary in Canada)
• Lynn Anderson on her album Cowboy's Sweetheart

Preceded by "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley	Billboard Top 100 number-one single (Gogi Grant version) June 16, 1956 (6 weeks)	Succeeded by "I Almost Lost My Mind" by Pat Boone
Preceded by "Diamonds" by Jet Harris and Tony Meehan	UK number one single (Frank Ifield version) February 21, 1963 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "Summer Holiday" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows