/internal/media/dispatcher/51778/full"Abraham, Martin and John" sheet music196812 1/16 × 9 1/16 in. (30.6 × 23 cm)PaperThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection2014.041.00010Vintage three-page sheet music for the song "Abraham, Martin and John", words and music by Dick Holler. This song was popularized by Dion. The cover shows a version of Mt. Rushmore that includes from left to right President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Abraham Lincoln.
Graphics and imagery on front and back covers are identical. Printed across the top of the covers is the title of the song: "Abraham [in bright pink], Martin [in turquoise] and [in gray] John [in black]"; beneath the title is this text in black: "Words and Music by DICK HOLLER". The primary image on the sheet music is a black and white photograph re-interpretation of Mt. Rushmore with drawings of President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, and Rev. Dr. King superimposed over the representations of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt in the monument. President Lincoln's image on the far right is the only one that is part of the original photograph. This image is set against a light blue ground.
Center page not attached to bi-fold cover pages of sheet music.
Song copyrighted 1968. Publisher information printed along bottom of front and back covers. Price of sheet music, 85 cents, printed in lower right corner on front and reverse covers.
Sheet music in good condition. Wear and color loss along fold on outside of cover pages. Individual sheet inside has yellowed edges, particularly where it was tucked into fold; other bi-fold page is yellowed around edges and fold but not as badly. (JM 04/25/2018)Documents6630523.018796037630.638811277643517Sheet music0E-10Three-page sheet music for the song "Abraham, Martin and John", words and music by Dick Holler, later popularized by the singer Dion. The cover shows a version of Mt. Rushmore that includes from left to right President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and President Abraham Lincoln.
Song copyrighted 1968. Publisher information printed along bottom of front and back covers. Price of sheet music, 85 cents, printed in lower right corner on front and reverse covers.
This image is not available online larger than a thumbnail to protect the copyright of its creator(s). For a more detailed examination of this item, please schedule an appointment in the Museum’s Reading Room.MusicPop CultureTributesKennedy, John F.Kennedy, Robert F.King, Martin Luther, Jr.Lincoln, AbrahamNew YorkAmerican pianist and songwriter Richard "Dick" Holler wrote this tribute to martyred icons Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy soon after the deaths of King and Robert Kennedy in April and June 1968. First recorded by pop artist Dion in August 1968, the song became a hit single, ultimately reaching #4 on the U.S. pop singles chart and reaching "gold record" status for selling more than one million copies. In Canada, it reached #1.
Although covered by a wide variety of artists, including Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Kenny Rogers and Andy Williams, the original 1968 recording by Dion remains the most recognized around the world. In 2001, the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA), in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts, named the Dion version one of the "Songs of the Century," in terms of historical significance, specifically #248 on their final list of 365 songs as selected by music industry executives, news media, teachers and students. Number one on this list was Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow" (1939). - Stephen Fagin, Curator