[2] The earliest known version of "The Yellow Rose of Texas" is found in Christy's Plantation Melodies.

Research in 2010 proposed that J.K. was John Kelly, who used the stage name J.K. Campbell, later J.K. Edward, as a member of the Christy's Minstrels.

[4] Like most minstrel songs, the lyrics are written in a cross between a parody of a generic creole dialect historically attributed to African-Americans and standard American English.

The song is written in the first person from the perspective of an African-American singer who refers to himself as a "darkey," longing to return to "a yellow girl" (that is, a light-skinned, or bi-racial woman born of African/African-American and European-American progenitors).

Roy Rogers performed a version of the song in the 1944 film The Yellow Rose of Texas.

[9] The final verse and chorus were slightly altered by the remains of Hood's force after their crushing defeat at the Battle of Nashville that December: (Last verse) And now I'm going southward, for my heart is full of woe I'm going back to Georgia, to find my Uncle Joe You may talk about your Beauregard and sing of Bobby Lee But the gallant Hood of Texas, he played hell in Tennessee Or alternatively: and now I'm going southward, for my heart is full of woe I'm going back to Georgia to find my 'Uncle Joe.'

You may talk about your Beauregard and sing of Gen. Lee, but that gallant Hood of Texas, played Hell in Tennessee.

[8] This recording was released by Columbia in July 1955 in the U.S.[12] The song reached number one hit on the Billboard retail chart on September 5, 1955, knocking Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" from the top of Billboard's Best Sellers chart.

[8] Gene Autry first recorded this song on January 27, 1933, at Victor Studios, without supporting musicians.

[24] Whether the copyright was good is unknown, Gene knew all the tricks of the trade, and he learned how to squeeze every dime out of his creative efforts.

He made a small fortune from songwriting and publishing over the years (600 songs), and in 1961 he bought a major league baseball team.

[25] The soundtrack to the TV miniseries James A. Michener's Texas dates a version of the song to June 2, 1933, and co-credits both the authorship and performance to Gene Autry and Jimmy Long.

[26] Stan Freberg also issued a parody version of the song the same year in which the bandleader warred with the snare drummer, Alvin Stoller, who also featured prominently in Miller's arrangement.