Jean Villard who wrote it, offered it to Edith Piaf, who recorded it but declined to release it. Instead she passed it on to Les Compagnons De La Chanson, who had a huge hit with it.

It has made the Top 40 in France six times since then.

In 1956, US country singer Dick Flood (still around, but now performing as Okefenokee Joe), copied note-for-note the arrangement by the French vocal group Les Compagnons De La Chanson, and in turn, Chet Atkins copied Flood's arrangement.

Flood sank, and the Browns topped the charts with it.

The song has been done by quite literally, hundreds of acts, including Roy Orbison, Guy Lombardo, Floyd Cramer, Frank Sinatra, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, Ray Charles, Alison Kraus - you mame it, they've all had a go at it.

It is unusual in that there are two separate sets of English lyrics to the same melody - one called "The Three Bells" (written by Bert Reisfeld) and "While The Angelus Was Ringing" (written by Dick Manning).

Great song, and Jim Ed Brown is one of my all-time favourite country singers.

If you want to hear the original, by Edith Piaf & Les Compagnons De La Chanson, go to

youtube.com/watch?v=HcwLnuWg2VU

• RE: The Browns - The Three Bells - 1959 - John 03/15/2009 18:10:34 EDT (1)