Charlie Rich (December 14, 1932 - July 25, 1995) was an American Country Music Singer/Musician. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Colt is a city in St Francis County, Arkansas, United States. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure The Nashville sound arose during the late 1950s as a sub-genre of American Country music, replacing the chart dominance of Honky tonk music which was Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock and roll music and emerged in the early 1950s The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Sun Records was a Record label based in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27 1952. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Epic Records is an American Record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. United Artists Records was a Record label founded by Max E Youngstein of United Artists in 1958 initially to distribute Soundtracks Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records Roger Dean Miller ( January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American Singer, Songwriter and Janie Fricke (b December 19 1947, South Whitley Indiana, United States) is an American Country music singer best remembered for Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock and roll music and emerged in the early 1950s Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to

In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver Fox. He is perhaps best remembered for a pair of 1973 hits, "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl". " The Most Beautiful Girl " is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Bill Sherrill Noris Wilson and Rory Michael Bourke "The Most Beautiful Girl" topped the U. S. country singles charts, as well as the pop singles charts. .

Early life

Though he resided in Benton, Arkansas most of his life, Rich was born in Colt, Arkansas to rural cotton farmers, beginning a professional musical career while in the U.S. Air Force in the early 1950s. Benton is a city in and the County seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States. Colt is a city in St Francis County, Arkansas, United States. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp A farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials His first musical group, called the Velvetones, played jazz and blues and featured his fiancée, Margaret Ann, on lead vocals. Rich left the military in 1955 and tried to farm five acres in Tennessee. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. He also began performing in clubs around the Memphis area, playing both jazz and R&B. Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. It was during these hard times that he began writing his own material. A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both

Early Recording Career In the Late 50s & 60s

Rich was a session musician for Judd Records, which was owned by Jud Phillips, the brother of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. Session musicians are musicians available for hire as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical outfit or who have acquired fame in their own right Judd Records was started by Jud Phillips brother of Sun Records co-founder Sam Phillips. Sun Records was a Record label based in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27 1952. Samuel Cornelius Phillips ( January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) better known as Sam Phillips, was an American After recording some demos for Sam Phillips at Sun Records that Phillips didn't find commercial enough, and too jazzy, legend has it that he was given a stack of Jerry Lee Lewis records and told: "come back when you get that bad. Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American Rock and roll and Country music Singer, Songwriter " In 1958, Rich became a regular session musician for Sun Records playing on records by Lewis, Johnny Cash, Bill Justis, Warren Smith, Billy Lee Riley, Carl Mann, and Ray Smith. Session musicians are musicians available for hire as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical outfit or who have acquired fame in their own right Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. William E "Bill" Justis Jr ( October 14, 1926 – July 15, 1982) was an American pioneer Rock and Roll Warren Smith refers to Warren Smith (golfer (born 1915 golf professional Cherry Hills Country Club Warren Smith (singer (1932–1980 Billy Lee Riley (born October 5, 1933) is a Rockabilly Musician, Singer, Record producer and Songwriter. Carl Mann (b Aug 22 1942 Huntingdon Tennessee) is an American Rockabilly singer and pianist Ray Smith may refer to Ray Smith (actor (1936–1991 Welsh actor starred in the TV series Dempsey & Makepeace Ray Smith (country singer He also wrote songs for Lewis, Cash, and others.

His third single for the Sun subsidiary, Phillips International Records, was the 1960 Top 30 hit, "Lonely Weekends," noted for its Presley-like vocals. Phillips International Records is a sub-label of Sun Records started by Sam Phillips in October 1957. None of his seven follow-up singles were a success, though several of the songs became staples in his live set, including "Who Will the Next Fool Be," "Sittin' and Thinkin'," and "No Headstone on My Grave. " These songs were often recorded by others to varying degrees of success, such as the Bobby Bland version of "Who Will the Next Fool Be. Robert Calvin Bland (born January 27, 1930) better known as Bobby “Blue” Bland, is an American singer of Blues and soul "

Rich's career stalled, and he left the struggling Sun label in 1964, signing with a subsidiary of RCA Records. A subsidiary, in business matters is an entity that is controlled by a bigger and more powerful entity RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. His first single for RCA, "Big Boss Man," was a minor hit, but again his Chet Atkins-produced follow-ups all stiffed. Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins ( June 20, 1924 &ndash June 30, 2001) was an influential Guitarist and Record producer Rich moved to Smash Records early in 1965. Smash Records is an American Record label. It was founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records by Mercury executive Shelby Singleton Rich's new producer, Jerry Kennedy, encouraged the pianist to emphasize his country and rock & roll leanings, although Rich considered himself a jazz pianist and had not paid much attention to country music since his childhood. The first single for Smash was "Mohair Sam," an R&B-inflected novelty-rock number, and it became a Top 30 pop hit. A novelty song is a silly or nonsensical Song, performed principally for its comical effect. Unfortunately again for Rich, none of his follow-up singles were successful. Rich was forced to change labels, moving over to Hi Records, where he recorded straight country, but none of his singles made a dent on the country charts. Hi Records was a Memphis soul and Rockabilly label started by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch in 1957

The Height of His Career in the 70s

Despite Rich's lack of consistent commercial success, Epic Records signed Rich in 1967, mainly on the recommendation of producer Billy Sherrill. Epic Records is an American Record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. Billy Sherrill (born Phil Campbell, Alabama, November 5 1936) was a record producer and arranger who is most famous for his association with Sherrill helped Rich refashion himself as a Nashville Sound balladeer during an era when old rock n' rollers like Jerry Lee Lewis and Conway Twitty were finding a new musical home in the country and western format. The Nashville sound arose during the late 1950s as a sub-genre of American Country music, replacing the chart dominance of Honky tonk music which was Conway Twitty (born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, September 1 1933; died June 5 1993) was one of the United States ' most successful This new "Countrypolitan" Rich sound paid off in the summer of 1972, when "I Take It on Home" went to number six in the country charts. The Nashville sound arose during the late 1950s as a sub-genre of American Country music, replacing the chart dominance of Honky tonk music which was The title track from his 1973 album, Behind Closed Doors, became a number one hit early in that year, crossing over into the Top 20 on the pop charts. This time his follow-up did not fizzle, as "The Most Beautiful Girl" spent three weeks at the top of the country charts and two weeks at the top of the pop charts. " The Most Beautiful Girl " is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Bill Sherrill Noris Wilson and Rory Michael Bourke Now established as a country music star, Behind Closed Doors won three awards from the Country Music Association that year: Best Male Vocalist, Album of the Year, and Single of the Year. The Country Music Association (CMA was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. The album was also certified gold. Rich won a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and he took home four ACM awards. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Academy of Country Music (ACM was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize Excellence in a certain field a certificate of excellence

After "The Most Beautiful Girl", number one hits came quickly, as five songs topped the country charts in 1974 and crossed over to the pop charts. The songs were "There Won't Be Anymore," "A Very Special Love Song," "I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore," "I Love My Friend," and "She Called Me Baby. " Both RCA and Mercury (Smash was a subsidiary of Mercury which was absorbed into the main company in 1970) re-released his previously recorded material from the mid-1960s, as well. Mercury Records is a Record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US and are both subsidiaries of All of this success led the CMA to name him Entertainer of the Year in 1974. Rich had three more top five hits in 1975, but even though he was at the peak of his popularity, Rich began to drink heavily, causing considerable problems off-stage. His destructive personal behavior famously culminated at the CMA awards ceremony for 1975, when he presented the award for Entertainer of the Year, while visibly intoxicated. Instead of reading the name of the winner, who happened to be John Denver, he set fire to the envelope with a cigarette lighter, before announcing the award had gone to "My good buddy, John Denver. John Denver (December 31 1943 &ndash October 12 1997 born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr A lighter is a portable device used to create a Flame. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with lighter fluid (usually Naphtha or liquid Butane " Some considered it an act of rebellion against the Music Row-controlled Nashville Sound. Music Row is an area just to the southwest of Downtown Nashville Tennessee that is home to hundreds of businesses related to the Country music, Gospel music But many speculated that Rich's behavior was a protest against the award going to Denver, whose music Rich had considered too "pop," and not enough "country. Behavior or behaviour (see spelling differences) refers to the actions or Reactions of an object or Organism, usually Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure "^[1] Others, including industry insiders, were outraged, and Rich had trouble having hits throughout 1976, and only had one top ten with "Since I Fell For You. "

The slump in his career was exacerbated by the fact that his records began to sound increasingly similar: pop-inflected country ballads with overdubbed strings and little of the jazz or blues Rich had performed his entire life. A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. Overdubbing (the process of making an overdub, or overdubs is a technique used by Recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member He did not have a top ten hit again until "Rollin' With the Flow" in 1977 went to number one. Early in 1978, he signed with United Artists Records, and throughout that year, he had hits on both Epic and UA. United Artists Records was a Record label founded by Max E Youngstein of United Artists in 1958 initially to distribute Soundtracks His hits in 1978 included the top ten hits "Beautiful Woman," "Puttin' In Overtime At Home," and his last number one with "On My Knees," a duet with Janie Fricke. A duet is a Musical composition or piece for two Performers In Classical music the term is most often used for a composition for two singers Janie Fricke (b December 19 1947, South Whitley Indiana, United States) is an American Country music singer best remembered for

Reclusive Era & Death

Rich struggled throughout 1979 having hits with United Artists and Epic. His singles were moderate hits that year, the biggest of them on either UA or Epic was a version of "Spanish Eyes," which became a top 20 country hit. Rich appeared as himself in the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie, Every Which Way But Loose, in which he performed the song, "I'll Wake You Up When I Get Home. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. " This song hit number three on the charts in 1979 and was his last top ten single. In 1980, he switched labels again to Elektra Records, and released a number twelve single, "A Man Just Don't Know What a Woman Goes Through" in the fall of that year. Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records One more Top 40 hit followed — the Gary Stewart song, "Are We Dreamin' the Same Dream" early in 1981 — but Rich decided to remove himself from the spotlight. Gary Stewart ( May 28, 1944 – December 16, 2003) was a Country musician and Songwriter known for his distinctive Vibrato For over a decade, Rich was silent, living off his investments in semi-retirement and only playing occasional concerts.

In 1992, Rich released Pictures and Paintings, a jazzy record that was produced by journalist Peter Guralnick. A journalist (also called a newspaperman) is a person who practices Journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events trends Peter Guralnick (born December 15, 1943, in Boston Massachusetts) is an American music critic, writer on music and historian of It was released on Sire Records. Sire Records Company is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros Pictures and Paintings received positive critical reviews and restored Rich's reputation as a musician, but it would be his last record. One of his opening acts in these years was Tom Waits, who mentioned him in the song "Putnam County" from his album Nighthawks at the Diner with the lyric: "The radio's spitting out Charlie Rich. Thomas Alan Waits (born 7 December 1949) is an American Singer-songwriter, Composer, and Actor. Nighthawks at the Diner is an album by Tom Waits, released in 1975 on Asylum Records. . . He sure can sing, that son of a bitch. "

Charlie Rich died in his sleep on July 25, 1995 in the Hammond, Louisiana motel where he and his wife were spending the night during a car trip to Florida. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Hammond is the largest City in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, a Portmanteau of motor and hotel or motorists' hotel, referred He was 62 years old. The cause of death was a blood clot in his lung. A thrombus, or blood clot, is the final product of the Blood coagulation step in Hemostasis. lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive He was buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. Memorial Park Cemetery was founded in 1924 by E Clovis Hinds on initial 54  Acres ( Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County.

Discography

Charted Singles

Charted Albums

Awards Won

References

1. ^ [1]Charlie Rich Jr. The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or the CMAs and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or the CMAs and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance has been awarded since 1965. The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or the CMAs and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country com - The Envelope Burning

External Links

• All Music Guide
• An early discography with sound checks
• Biography on Charlie Rich, Jr.'s website
• Charlie Rich's official website
• Escott, Colin. (1998). "Charlie Rich". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 442-3.