John Wesley Ryles

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John Wesley Ryles
John Wesley Ryles.png
Ryles in 1970
Background information
Also known asJohn Wesley Ryles I
Born (1950-12-02) December 2, 1950 (age 73) [1]
Origin Bastrop, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres Country
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, session musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1968–1971, 1976–present
Labels
Spouse(s) Joni Lee

John Wesley Ryles (born December 2, 1950) is an American country music artist. Ryles recorded a string of hit country songs, beginning in 1968 when he was still a teenager, and continuing through the 1980s. He no longer records as a headline artist but remains active in the music industry as a session musician.

Contents

Biography

At age 17, he made his debut in 1968 with the single "Kay", a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and the title track to his debut album for Columbia Records. [2]

Ryles later recorded one album, Reconsider Me, for the Plantation label, which produced a No. 39 single in its title track. It was followed by two non-album singles, "Tell It Like It Is" and "When a Man Loves a Woman," both on the Music Mill label in 1976. [2]

He then moved to Dot Records. His first single on ABC/Dot, "Fool", Made it to No. 18 on the Hot Country chart followed by his highest-peaking single, the No. 5 "Once in a Lifetime Thing." [1] When that label merged with MCA Records, he issued the album Let the Night Begin there. The first single, "Liberated Woman" climbed to No. 14 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. It was followed by a rendition of "Always on My Mind, which went to #20 on the Billboard Hot Country chart.." [2] The last song released from this album, "Perfect Strangers", reached No. 24 on the Billboard chart.

Two more singles followed on the Primero label: "We've Got to Start Meeting Like This" and "Just Once," followed by "She Took It Too Well" on 16th Avenue Records in 1984. [2] The last label for which he recorded was Warner Bros. Records between 1987 and 1988. Although he reached Top 20 with "Louisiana Rain" during his stay on Warner, he did not release an album for the label. [2]

Since the release of his last single in 1988, Ryles has served primarily as a background vocalist. Ryles is married to Joni Lee, the daughter of country singer Conway Twitty. [3] [4] [5]

Discography

Albums

YearAlbumChart PositionsLabel
US Country
1969Kay22Columbia
1971Reconsider MePlantation
1977John Wesley Ryles39ABC/Dot
1978Shine on MeABC
Love's Sweet Pain
1979Let the Night BeginMCA

Singles

YearSingleChart PositionsAlbum
US Country
[2]
CAN Country AU
1968"Kay"A, B9638Kay
1969"Heaven Below"B55
1970"The Weakest Kind of Man"B57
"I've Just Been Wasting My Time"B176
1971"Reconsider Me"B39Reconsider Me
1976"Tell It Like It Is"83John Wesley Ryles
"When a Man Loves a Woman"72
1977"Fool"18
"Once in a Lifetime Thing"59
1978"Shine on Me (The Sun Still Shines When It Rains)"1314Shine on Me
"Easy"63single only
"Kay" (new recording)5055Shine on Me
"Someday You Will"45Love's Sweet Pain
1979"Love Ain't Made for Fools"3340
"Liberated Woman"1417Let the Night Begin
"You Are Always on My Mind"2024
1980"Perfect Strangers"24
"May I Borrow Some Sugar from You"52singles only
"Cheater's Trap"54
1981"Somewhere to Come When It Rains"80
"Mathilda"78
1982"We've Got to Start Meeting Like This"76
"Just Once"80
1984"She Took It Too Well"78
1987"Midnight Blue"36
"Louisiana Rain"20
1988"Nobody Knows"53

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References

  1. 1 2 Brennan, Sandra. "John Wesley Ryles biography". AllMusic . Retrieved March 29, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 367. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  3. "Meet Conway Twitty's Children Who Keep His Memories Alive". May 26, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  4. "Conway Twitty's Posthumous 'Timeless': His Daughter Shares the Story Behind Undiscovered Material". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  5. "Interview: Conway Twitty's Daughter Joni Talks Re-discovering Dad's Music". The Boot. December 6, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2021.