(Lament of) Cherokee Reservation - Cherokee-heimo

Jarkko & Laura recorded "Cherokee-heimo" (Cherokee tribe) in 1971. As a single it wasn't a great success, but the song has remained as an extraordinary artifact of the Golden Cover Era. The original song was written in the 50's by the famous songsmith John D. Loudermilk. It was first recorded (as "The Pale Faced Indian") in 1959 by an American country and rockabilly singer Marvin Rainwater (b. Marvin Karleton Percy), himself 25 percent Cherokee. The song went unnoticed at the time, but became a hit in 1968, when covered by English pop singer Don Fardon (b. Don Maughn). It reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song went all the way to number one in 1971, when recorded by US rock group Paul Revere and The Raiders. The song refers to the forcible removal and relocation of Cherokee people from southeastern states of the United States to territories west of the Mississippi River. This removal in the 1830s is often referred to as the "Trail of Tears".