• The
Sons of the Pioneers first recorded the song for
Decca on August 8, 1934, and it enjoyed chart success that year. Their 1934 recording was selected by the
Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the
National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Their 1946 version of the song was featured in the 1998 film
The Big Lebowski, though it did not appear on the soundtrack release. •
Gene Autry recorded his version on January 11, 1935, at
ARC Studios,
New York City. •
Bing Crosby recorded the song with John Scott Trotter's Orchestra in Los Angeles 9 February 1940. This version reached the No. 12 position in the charts of the day during a 7-week stay. Crosby recorded the song again in 1954 for his album
Bing: A Musical Autobiography. •
Kate Smith recorded the song on June 1, 1945 for Columbia (36871) and it is available on her CD
16 Most Requested Songs. • Jazz trombonist
J. J. Johnson recorded a version of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" in the 1956 album
J Is for Jazz. •
Slim Whitman had a top twenty hit in the UK with "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" in 1956. •
Roger Williams (pianist) recorded his version of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" that reached #60 in US in 1956. •
Pat Boone recorded a version of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" with his wife
Shirley Boone on their 1959 album "Side by Side". •
Johnnie Ray recorded his version for the 1959 album
On the Trail. • Jazz guitarist
Grant Green recorded a version in 1962, which was released on the 1969 album ''
Goin' West'', and features
Herbie Hancock on piano. • Film actor
Clint Eastwood recorded a version on his 1962 album
Cowboy Favorites. •
Frankie Laine recorded a version on his 1962 album
Call of the Wild. •
Lorne Greene recorded the song for his 1965 album
American West. •
The Supremes covered the song on their 1965 album
The Supremes Sing Country, Western & Pop, although it was recorded two years earlier.
Diana Ross sings lead. •
Harry James recorded a version on his 1966 album
Harry James & His Western Friends (
Dot DLP 3735 and DLP 25735). • In the song "Turn on, Tune in, Drop Out" by
The Fugs on their 1968 album
Tenderness Junction, the chorus of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" is sung over part of the instrumental section. •
Don Everly recorded a version in 1970. It is the opening track on the album
Don Everly. •
Michael Nesmith covered the song with his band The First National Band on their album
Nevada Fighter, released in 1971. •
Marty Robbins recorded a version on his 1979 album
All Around Cowboy. •
Leo Kottke recorded a version on his 1981 album
Guitar Music. •
Meat Puppets recorded a cover on their 1982
self-titled debut album. •
Michael Martin Murphey recorded a version on his 1990 album
Cowboy Songs. •
Element of Crime released a version of on their 1996 album
Die schönen Rosen. •
Punch Brothers played the song live at
New York City Town Hall in 2013 at a promotional concert for the film
Inside Llewyn Davis. The concert was later released as an album. ==Film appearances==