The Lonesome Road is a 1927 song with music by Nathaniel Shilkret and lyrics by Gene Austin, also known as Lonesome Road, Look Down that Lonesome Road, or Lonesome Road Blues. It was written in the style of an African American folk song. The original artist is Gene Austin, and it was first recorded on September 16, 1927 with the Victor Orchestra conducted by Shilkret, released as a single rather than as part of an album. The tune has since been recorded in jazz, gospel, blues, big band and dance genres. It has been covered by many artists including Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Bing Crosby, and was notably used as a substitute for Ol' Man River in the 1929 film Show Boat. Later covers include Esther & Abi Ofarim in 1967 and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in 1968, and Bob Dylan borrowed melodies for Sugar Baby on Love & Theft in 2001.
