Streets Of Baltimore (MP3)

Tompall & The Glaser Brother - Streets Of Baltimore (3:10)

Streets Of Baltimore, a top 10 hit for singer Bobby Bare in 1966, remains one of hist best known numbers. Here's a version by the song's author Tompall Glaser (who shared writing credit with legendary songwriter Harlan Howard) that is heard far less frequently.

Like a lot of people, I suppose, the first version I ever heard, back when I was first dipping my toe into the world of country music, was the one recorded by Gram Parsons in the early 1970s. Later, I heard the Bobby Bare version, which was, in fact, the original. Glaser, despite being one of the song's authors, did not record it until several months after Bare's song had already peaked on the charts. Plenty of others have recorded the song as well, including Emmylou Harris, Charley Pride, and contemporary honky-tonkers Red Meat. For my money, though, the Tompall Glaser version remains the best of the bunch. Give a listen to his soulful trembling baritone as he reveals the sad truth about his crumbling marriage to a woman who ultimately dumps him to lead the life of a party girl.