<P> The melody is based on the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home ." </P> <Ul> <Li> The original version by Stan Jones was recorded in late 1948 . Fellow songwriter Eden Ahbez sent the song to Burl Ives, who recorded his own version a year later . </Li> </Ul> <Li> The original version by Stan Jones was recorded in late 1948 . Fellow songwriter Eden Ahbez sent the song to Burl Ives, who recorded his own version a year later . </Li> <Ul> <Li> Burl Ives recorded the song on February 17, 1949, and the song was released by Columbia Records as catalog No. 38445 . The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on April 22, 1949, lasting six weeks and peaking at No. 21 . </Li> <Li> The version by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra with Vaughn Monroe and The Moon Men on vocals, was recorded on March 14, 1949, and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog No. 20 - 3411 (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog No . BD 1247, HN 3014, HQ 2071, IM 1425 and GY 878 . The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on April 15, 1949, lasting 22 weeks and reaching No. 1 . Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1949 . </Li> <Li> The Bing Crosby version was recorded on March 22, 1949, and released by Decca Records as catalog No. 24618 . The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on May 6, 1949, lasting 6 weeks and peaking at No. 14 . </Li> <Li> The Peggy Lee version was recorded on April 18, 1949, and released by Capitol Records as catalog No. 57 - 608 . It reached No. 2 on Billboard's Most Played By Disc Jockeys listing without appearing in the retail Top 30 . </Li> <Li> Spike Jones recorded the song on May 24, 1949, and it was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog No. 20 - 3741 . Copies of the original release, containing lyrics ridiculing RCA stockholder Vaughn Monroe, are rare . The recording parodies the original Monroe recording, injecting much of Jones' quintessential humor along the way . </Li> <Li> Gene Autry recorded the song for Columbia Records on August 16, 1949, which issued as Columbia 20635, backed with "Cowboy's Trademarks" (recorded August 27, 1940), and sang it in his 1949 film Riders in the Sky released through Columbia Pictures . </Li> </Ul>

Who sang the original song ghost riders in the sky