James Travis Reeves was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville sound. Known as "Gentleman Jim", his songs continued to chart for years after his death. Reeves died in the crash of his private airplane. He is a member of both the Country Music and Texas Country Music Halls of Fame.
Richard Edward Arnold was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. 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."
Country pop is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres like rock, pop, and country, continuing similar efforts that began in the late 1950s, known originally as Nashville sound and later on as Countrypolitan. By the mid-1970s, many country artists were transitioning to the pop-country sound, which led to some records' charting high on mainstream top 40 as well as the country Billboard charts country music 40 songs.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1967.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1964.
"I Can't Stop Loving You" is a popular song written and composed by country singer, songwriter, and musician Don Gibson, who first recorded it on December 30, 1957, for RCA Victor Records. It was released in 1958 as the B-side of "Oh, Lonesome Me", becoming a double-sided country hit single. At the time of Gibson's death in 2003, the song had been recorded by more than 700 artists.
Bimbo was a popular song written in either 1948 or 1949 by Glenn O'Dell, but credited to Rodney (Rod) Morris or "Pee Wee" King. It was recorded in 1953 by Jim Reeves on Abbott 148. The song was later included in the 1965 album Up Through the Years on RCA Victor. Reeves' version became his second No. 1 song on the Billboard magazine country chart in January 1954, and helped pave the way to his eventual superstardom. Like his previous No. 1 hit "Mexican Joe," "Bimbo" was more of a novelty hit for Reeves; as such, "Bimbo" differed greatly from the smooth, Nashville sound ballads - "Four Walls" and "He'll Have to Go" - that he later recorded and made famous. Former NBA player Vernell "Bimbo" Coles is nicknamed after this song.
"Make the World Go Away'" is a country pop song composed by Hank Cochran. It has become a Top 40 popular success three times: for Timi Yuro, for Eddy Arnold (1965), and for the brother-sister duo Donny and Marie Osmond (1975). The original version of the song was recorded by Ray Price during 1963. It has remained a country crooner standard ever since.
"He'll Have to Go" is an American country and pop hit recorded on October 15, 1959, by Jim Reeves. The song, released in the fall of 1959, went on to become a hit in both genres early in 1960.
Here Comes My Baby is a studio album by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in June 1965 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. It was West's debut studio album as a recording artist and was issued following the success of the title track in 1964. The latter song won a Grammy Award in early 1965 which prompted the issue of the album. Here Comes My Baby would start a series of studio recordings West would release for RCA.
"Distant Drums" is a song which provided US singer Jim Reeves with his only UK No. 1 hit – albeit posthumously – in the United Kingdom in 1966, some two years after his death in a plane crash on 31 July 1964. The song remained in the UK Singles Chart for 25 weeks. The single also topped the US country chart for four weeks, becoming his most successful posthumous single.
"Six Days on the Road" is an American song written by Earl Green and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio songwriter Carl Montgomery, made famous by country music singer Dave Dudley. The song was initially recorded by Paul Davis and released in 1961 on the Bulletin label. In 1963, the song became a major hit when released by Dudley, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and cracking the Top 40 (#32) on the Hot 100, leading to it being hailed as the definitive celebration of the American truck driver.
"Don't Let Me Cross Over" is a song made famous as a duet by Carl Butler and Pearl, a husband-and-wife country music duo. Originally released in November 1962, the song needed just four weeks to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard Country Singles chart, and spent 11 (non-consecutive) weeks at #1. "Don't Let Me Cross Over" has become a country-music standard.
Mitchell Torok is an American country music singer, songwriter, artist, author and guitarist, best known for his 1953 hit "Caribbean". He also wrote "Mexican Joe", which catapulted Jim Reeves to stardom. They began to write together and charted many top 20 hits.
"I Won't Come In While He's There" is a 1967 posthumous single by Jim Reeves, recorded in the RCA Victor studios in Nashville, Tennessee on May 18, 1964. It was one of the last songs Reeves recorded before his premature death on July 31; the flip side of the single, "Maureen", was the last. The single was Reeves' sixth and final posthumous release to hit number one on the U.S. country chart. "I Won't Come In While He's There" spent a single week at number one and total of twelve weeks on the country chart. The piano backing is a strong feature of the recording. Although it sounds like Floyd Cramer's characteristic style, and Cramer was Reeves' usual pianist, in this case the player was the blind pianist Hargus "Pig" Robbins.
"I Love You Because" is a song written and recorded by country music singer and songwriter Leon Payne in 1949. The song has been covered by several artists throughout the years, including hit cover versions by Al Martino in 1963 and Jim Reeves in 1964.
"Missing You" is a song written by Red Sovine and Dale Noe, which was originally released by Red Sovine in 1955, and was later a hit single for Webb Pierce in 1957, Ray Peterson in 1961, and was posthumously a hit for Jim Reeves in 1972. Sovine's version was the B-side of Red Sovine and Webb Pierce's hit single "Why Baby Why".
Country Hall of Fame is a studio album by American country singer–songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in February 1968 via RCA Victor Records and contained 12 tracks. The album was co-produced by Chet Atkins and Felton Jarvis. The album's name was derived from its single of the same, which became Locklin's first major hit in several years. It would also be his seventeenth studio recording released in his career and one of many to be produced by Chet Atkins. Country Hall of Fame received positive reviews from writers and publications.
"The Country Hall of Fame" is a song written by Karl Davis that was originally recorded by American country singer–songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released as a single in 1967 and became a top ten hit on the American country chart the following year. It was Locklin's first major hit in several years and would be released on an album of the same name.
