who sang the song they call the wind mariah
They Call the Wind Maria
`` They Call the Wind Maria '' is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical , Paint Your Wagon , which is set in the California Gold Rush . Rufus Smith originally sang the song on Broadway , and Joseph Leader was the original singer in London 's West End . It quickly became a runaway hit , and during the Korean War , the song was among the `` popular music listened to by the troops '' . Vaughan Monroe and his Orchestra recorded the song in 1951 , and it was among the `` popular hit singles at the record stores '' that year . It has since become a standard , performed by many notable singers across several genres of popular music . A striking feature of the song in the original orchestration ( also used in many cover versions ) , is a driving , staccato rhythm , played on the string instruments , that evokes a sense of restless motion . 
`` They Call the Wind Maria '' is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical , Paint Your Wagon , which is set in the California Gold Rush . Rufus Smith originally sang the song on Broadway , and Joseph Leader was the original singer in London 's West End . It quickly became a runaway hit , and during the Korean War , the song was among the `` popular music listened to by the troops '' . Vaughan Monroe and his Orchestra recorded the song in 1951 , and it was among the `` popular hit singles at the record stores '' that year . It has since become a standard , performed by many notable singers across several genres of popular music . A striking feature of the song in the original orchestration ( also used in many cover versions ) , is a driving , staccato rhythm , played on the string instruments , that evokes a sense of restless motion .
Rufus Smith originally sang the song "They Call the Wind Maria" on Broadway, and Joseph Leader was the original singer in London's West End.  It has since become a standard, performed by many notable singers across several genres of popular music.
`` They Call the Wind Maria '' is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical , Paint Your Wagon , which is set in the California Gold Rush . Rufus Smith originally sang the song on Broadway , and Joseph Leader was the original singer in London 's West End . It has since become a standard , performed by many notable singers across several genres of popular music .