Little David Wilkins | |
---|---|
Born | Parsons, Tennessee | May 18, 1945
Genres | Country |
Occupation | Singer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
Years active | 1969-current |
Labels | Sun Records Plantation Records MCA Charly Records Sun/Plantation subsidiary Playboy Epic [16th Avenue Records][BearFamily Records Sun Records Vol #6] |
Little David Wilkins (born May 18, 1945 [1] ) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. Between 1969 and 1977, he recorded for MCA Records with whom he released his greatest number of chart hits.
Wilkins performed at a nightclub in Parsons, Tennessee during the 1960s. He rose to fame as the writer of many songs that were performed by other artists; his first was Brenda Lee's 1966 hit single "Coming on Strong". Other artists who have recorded his songs include Charley Pride, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Jack Greene, Leroy Van Dyke, Stonewall Jackson, Sonny James, Ronnie Dove, Barbara Mandrell, and Percy Sledge. [2]
He was also the inspiration behind Elvis Presley's 1975 single "T-R-O-U-B-L-E". [3]
One of Wilkins' songs, "Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring", was later covered by Conway Twitty. [4]
After his success in songwriting for other artists brought him attention, Wilkins began recording his own songs, beginning with a 1969 single "Just Blow In His Ear".
Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
US Country | ||
Little David Wilkins |
| 31 [5] |
King of All the Taverns |
| 48 [6] |
Top 10 Hits Plus 3 |
| — |
Boogie Woogie Man |
| — |
New Horizons |
| — |
Farther Down the Road |
|
Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US Country [1] | CAN Country [7] | |||
1969 | "Just Blow in His Ear" (as David Wilkins) | 54 | — | singles only |
1973 | "Love in the Back Seat" | 63 | — | |
"Too Much Hold Back" | 41 | 60 | Little David Wilkins | |
1974 | "Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring" | 50 | — | |
"Not Tonight" | 77 | — | ||
"Whoever Turned You On Forgot to Turn You Off" | 14 | 8 | ||
1975 | "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" | 11 | 48 | King of All the Taverns |
1976 | "The Good Night Special" | 18 | 14 | |
"Disco-Tex"/"Half the Way In, Half the Way Out" | 75 | — | ||
"The Greatest Show on Earth" | 88 | — | ||
1977 | "He'll Play the Music (But You Can't Make Him Dance)" | 21 | 36 | singles only |
"Is Everybody Ready" | 60 | — | ||
"Agree to Disagree" | 21 | 32 | ||
1978 | "Don't Stop the Music (You're Playing My Song)" | 68 | — | |
"Motel Rooms" | 74 | — | ||
1986 | "Lady in Distress" | 79 | — | |
1987 | "Butterbeans" (with Johnny Russell) | 72 | — | |
"It's Quittin' Time" (with Johnny Russell) | — | — |
Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry. They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook. First operating under the name Young Country and later Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a recording deal.
Lynn René Anderson was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden", was a number one hit internationally. She also charted five number one and 18 top-ten singles on the Billboard country songs chart. Anderson is regarded as one of country music's most significant performers.
Brooks & Dunn is an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of songwriter and record producer Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo recording artists, having charted two solo singles apiece in the 1980s. Brooks also released an album for Capitol Records in 1989 and wrote hit singles for other artists.
Cheryl Lau Sang, known professionally as Samantha Sang, is an Australian singer. She had an earlier career as a teenage singer under the stage name Cheryl Gray, before adopting the stage name she is more widely known as in 1969. She first received nationwide recognition in Australia in 1967, after releasing the top ten single "You Made Me What I Am".
Richard Edward Arnold was an American country music singer. He was a Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more than 85 million records. A member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, Arnold ranked 22nd on Country Music Television's 2003 list of "The 40 Greatest Men of Country Music."
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a single in September 1967. It went to number one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and number two on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and shortly became the biggest selling Motown single up to that time.
Joe Logan Diffie was an American country music singer and songwriter. After working as a demo singer in the mid 1980s, he signed with Epic Records' Nashville division in 1990. Between then and 2004, Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at number one: his debut release "Home", "If the Devil Danced ", "Third Rock from the Sun", "Pickup Man" and "Bigger Than the Beatles". In addition to these singles, he had 12 others reach the top 10 and ten more reach the top 40 on the same chart. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.
Keith Lionel Urban is an Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with four Grammy Awards, he has also received 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves International Award, 13 CMA Awards, and six ARIA Music Awards. Urban wrote and performed the song "For You" from the film Act of Valor, which earned him nominations at both the 70th Golden Globe Awards and at the 18th Critics' Choice Awards in the respective Best Original Song categories.
Lawrence Hankins Locklin was an American country music singer-songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on Billboard's country chart. His biggest hits included "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" and his signature "Please Help Me, I'm Falling". The latter also went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. Billboard's 100th anniversary issue listed it as the second most successful country single of the rock and roll era. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.
Lonestar is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack, Michael Britt, Dean Sams, and Keech Rainwater (drums). Britt, Sams, and Rainwater co-founded the band in 1992 with original lead vocalist Richie McDonald and bass guitarist/vocalist John Rich. Rich exited the band in 1998 and went on to join Big Kenny as one-half of the duo Big & Rich. Since his departure, Lonestar has relied alternatingly on session and touring musicians for bass guitar accompaniment. McDonald exited the band in 2007 to record as a solo artist, and was replaced by former McAlyster vocalist Cody Collins before returning in 2011. McDonald left a second time in 2021 to join The Frontmen, with former Sons of the Desert lead vocalist Drew Womack replacing him.
Lee Roy Parnell is an American country music and blues musician. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. His highest-charting hits are "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am" (1992), "Tender Moment" (1993), and "A Little Bit of You" (1995), all of which peaked at No. 2. Four more of his singles have charted in the Top Ten as well. Parnell made a shift in the early 2000s back to the bluesier sounds of his early works, releasing two blues albums on Vanguard Records and Universal South. Besides his own work, Parnell has played slide guitar and National guitar on several other country and blues recordings.
Richard Vance McDonald is an American country music singer and songwriter. From 1994 until his departure in 2007, he was the lead singer of the group Lonestar, which recorded seven studio albums on BNA Records during his tenure as lead vocalist. For the first seven years of the band's existence, he alternated with then-bassist John Rich as vocalist. McDonald became the sole lead vocalist of Lonestar following Rich's departure. McDonald co-wrote several of the band's singles, and sang lead on all but one of them; he would rejoin the band in 2011 before exiting again in 2021 to perform with The Frontmen. Outside Lonestar, he has charted twice as a guest vocalist on others' songs, in addition to releasing two independent albums and four solo singles.
The discography of Buck Owens, an American country music artist, consists of 39 studio albums, 16 compilation albums, 9 live albums, 97 singles, and 12 B-sides. After recording under the name Corky Jones and releasing a string of singles in the mid-1950s, Owens signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in February 1957.
The discography of American country artist Jeanne Pruett consists of six studio albums, one live album, three compilation albums and 37 singles. While working for a publishing company, she signed a recording contract with RCA Records in 1963. She released several singles that did not become successful. In 1969, she signed with Decca Records. Her first charting single was 1971's "Hold to My Unchanging Love". This was followed by "Love Me", which became a top 40 hit and prompted the release of her debut studio album. In 1973, Pruett released the single "Satin Sheets", which became her biggest hit. The song spent several weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and crossed over to number 28 on the Hot 100. Its corresponding album of the same name also topped the Billboard Country Albums chart in July 1973.
"T-R-O-U-B-L-E" is a song written by Jerry Chesnut and recorded by Elvis Presley in March 1975. It was released as a single, as the A-side, with the B-side "Mr. Songman", through RCA Victor that was taken from his album Today. It is not to be confused with the Leiber and Stoller song "Trouble", that Presley first recorded in July 1958, and which was subsequently recorded by numerous other artists.
"Little Green Apples" is a song written by Bobby Russell that became a hit for three different artists, with their three separate releases, in 1968. Originally written for and released by American recording artist Roger Miller, "Little Green Apples" was also released as a single by American recording artists Patti Page and O. C. Smith that same year. Smith's version became a #2 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles charts, while Miller's version became a Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 as well as the UK Singles Chart. Page's version became her last Hot 100 entry. The song earned Russell a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and for Best Country Song. In 2013, "Little Green Apples" was covered by English recording artist Robbie Williams featuring American recording artist Kelly Clarkson, which became a top 40 hit in Mexico.
"Behind Closed Doors" is a country song written by Kenny O'Dell. It was first recorded by Charlie Rich for his 1973 album Behind Closed Doors. The single was Rich's first No.1 hit on the country charts, spent 20 weeks on this chart, and was also a crossover hit on the pop charts. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA for U. S. sales in excess of two million copies. Background vocals were provided by The Nashville Edition.
"Country Boy" is a song written by Tony Colton, Albert Lee, and Ray Smith of the British band Heads Hands & Feet, and recorded by American country music artist Ricky Skaggs. It was released in February 1985 as the second single and title track from the album Country Boy. The song was Skaggs' ninth #1 country hit. The single went to #1 for one week and spent a total of 13 weeks on the country chart.
"Rose Garden" is a song written in 1967 by American singer-songwriter Joe South. It was first recorded by Billy Joe Royal on his 1967 studio album Billy Joe Royal Featuring "Hush". Versions by South himself and Dobie Gray appeared shortly after the original. Gray's version became a minor hit in North America in 1969.
"Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring" is a single co-written and originally recorded by Little David Wilkins. It was released in 1974, peaking at number 50 on the U.S. country singles charts.