Those Damn Copyrights

All essays, interviews, lyrics, reviews, and images are placed here for non-commercial informational, research aid, and amusement purposes only. This collection is in no way meant to infringe on any existing copyrights. Though they may be under copyright, they are unavailable to the general public and are presented here for the study and entertainment of the folk music or Cisco Houston fan.

Certain individual songs included here may still be under copyright for their music and/or published lyrics. If any person wishes to use any lyrics to any of these songs for public performance, publication, or commercial purposes, it is the responsibility of such person to research any and all current copyrights.

Where published sheet music has been compared, Cisco's performances often differ significantly. As mentioned elsewhere, these are posted as Cisco performed them, not as they may have been written.

Cisco was no fan of copyrights; from the notes to The Folkways Years, by Guy Logsdon:

Katie Lee taught this song (The Killer) to Cisco when they were dating in California during the early 1950s. When he told her he was going to record it, she reminded him that she had written the melody and that is was copyrighted. It angered Cisco, so he modified the melody enough to call it his own.

Here's Woody on copyrights:

This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright # 154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don't give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that's all we wanted to do.

However, if you object to our using your copyrighted material, please let us know and we'll remove it.

But remember, nothing would make us happier than if this web site added to the worldwide sales of Cisco's material, and we sure aren't making any money off it.

We welcome any suggestions, contributions, or questions. You send it, we'll consider using it. Help us spread the word. And the music. And thanks for visiting.