Roger Miller wrote much (but not all) of the music. He was a brilliant artist. Check out his other music, if you are not aware of it. He wrote the music for the play, "Big River," as well. It was the musical adaptation of
Huckleberry Finn that you may know from Broadway or from the many high school productions of it. It was brilliant. "Worlds Apart" from that show was a moving song about seeing through the eyes of other races, and many people liked "River in the Rain"; but I was particularly moved by "How Blest We Are," a hymn that he wrote for the show that is sung back to back first by a staid, high-church Anglican-style white congregation, then staged immediately following by a traditional gospel-style black congregation - same song, same lyrics, completely different plaintive, meaningful styles brilliantly showing the contrast.
He was mostly known as a country music star, but even his country music was brilliant: some more storytelling ("King of the Road"), others more fun ("Dang Me") or just a good song ("England Swings"), but all well-written and smart. (Some just as rich in vocabulary as those of the Sherman Brothers.) He was funny and fun in person, and it came across in some of the songs.
And, of course, "Whistle Stop" from
Robin Hood was sampled for the landmark internet meme (before we even knew what a "meme" was), "Hampster Dance."
http://www.hampsterdance2.com/hampsterclassics.htm shows the original clip, which was later the whole song:
. (Someone has taken the Disney original and sped it up to match pitch and time of "The Hampster Dance" also:
.)
Anyway, Roger Miller was brilliant even before "The Hampster Dance"... And his brilliance was on display in
Robin Hood.
FYI for old TV fans: The voices of the vultures in
Robin Hood were provided by George "Goober" Lindsey of
Andy Griffith Show and
Mayberry RFD fame, and by Ken "Festus" Curtis of
Gunsmoke fame.
