Information AboutCharlie Rich |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CHARLIE RICH | |
| 1932 births | |
| 1995 deaths | |
| american country singers | |
| american male singers | |
| american country musicians | |
| people from arkansas | |
| sun records artists | |
| grammy award winners | |
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Charlie Rich ( December 14 , 1932 - July 25 , 1995 ) was an American Musician and Pianist . A multi- 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. In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname "The Silver Fox" in reference to his full head of gray hair. Charlie Rich's pioneering contribution to early Rock N' Roll has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame . Rich's son, Charlie Rich, Jr. , is also a musician. EARLY 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. 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 1956 and tried to farm five acres in Tennessee . He began performing clubs around the Memphis Area , playing both jazz and R&B . It was during these hard times he began writing his own material. EARLY RECORDING CAREER Rich was a , Bill Justis , Warren Smith , Billy Lee Riley , Carl Mann , and Ray Smith . He also penned 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 Elvis-like vocals. 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." Rich's career stalled, he left the struggling Sun label in 1964, signing with a subsidiary of RCA . His first single for RCA, "Big Boss Man," was a minor hit, but again his Chet Atkins -produced follow-ups all stiffed. Rich moved to Smash Records early in 1965. 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. 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. COUNTRY SUPERSTARDOM Despite Rich's lack of consistent commercial success, , Rich won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, and he also took home four ACM awards. After "The Most Beautiful Girl," number one hits came quickly as several songs topped the country charts and crossed over to the pop charts. Both RCA and Smash re-released his previously recorded material, scoring minor hits. 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 that year's Entertainer of the Year. Instead of reading the name of the winner, who happened to be John Denver , he set fire to the envelope with a cigarette lighter. Many considered it an act of rebellion against the Music Row -controlled Nashville Sound. Others, including industry insiders, were outraged and Rich had trouble having hits throughout 1976. 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. He did not have a top ten hit again until "Rollin' With the Flow" in 1977. Early in 1978, he signed with United Artists and throughout that year had hits on both Epic and UA. RECLUSIVE ERA AND DEATH Rich struggled throughout 1979 and none of his singles were anything more than a minor success. Rich appeared as himself in the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie Every Which Way But Loose where he performed the song "I'll Wake You Up When I Get Home." 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. One more Top 40 hit followed — the Gary Stewart penned "Are We Dreamin' the Same Dream" early in 1981 — but Rich decided to remove himself from the spotlight. For over a decade, Rich was silent, living off his investments in semi-retirement and only playing the occasional concert. In 1992 Rich released ''Pictures and Paintings'', a jazzy record produced by journalist Peter Guralnick and released on Sire Records . ''Pictures and Paintings'' received positive critical reviews and restored Rich's reputation as a musician, but it would be his last record. Charlie Rich died in Hammond, Louisiana on July 25, 1995 at the age of 62 from a blood clot in his lung. He was interred in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee . AWARDS
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