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Charlie Rich

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Artist info:
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GenreCountry
Albums91
Songs129
AboutCharlie Rich Biography

Charlie Rich was simultaneously one of the most critically acclaimed and most erratic country singers of
post-World War II era. Rich had all the elements of being one of the great country stars of the '60s and '70s,
but his popularity never matched his critical notices. What made him a critical favorite also kept him from
mass success. Throughout his career, Rich willfully bended genres, fusing country, jazz, blues, gospel,
rockabilly, and soul. Though he had 45 country hits in a career that spanned nearly four decades, he
became best-known for his lush, Billy Sherrill-produced countrypolitan records of the early '70s. Instead of
embracing the stardom those records brought him, Rich shunned it, retreating into semiretirement by the
'80s.

Rich began his professional musical career while he was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in the early '50s.
While he was stationed in Oklahoma, he formed a group called the Velvetones, which played jazz and blues
and featured his fiancée, Margaret Ann, on lead vocals. Rich left the military in 1956, and he began
performing clubs around the Memphis area, playing both jazz and R&B; he also began writing his own
material. Rich managed to land a job as a session musician for Judd Records, which was owned by Judd
Phillips, the brother of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. Around this time, saxophonist and Sun recording
artist Bill Justis heard Rich play at the Sharecropper Club and asked the pianist to write arrangements for
him. Sam saw Rich perform with Justis at a club gig and asked him to record some demos at Sun Studios.
Phillips rejected the resulting demos, claiming they were too jazzy. After absorbing some Jerry Lee Lewis
records Justis gave him, Rich returned to Sun quickly and became a regular session musician for the label
in 1958, playing and/or singing on records by Lewis, Johnny Cash, Justis, Warren Smith, Billy Lee Riley,
Carl Mann, and Ray Smith. He was also writing songs, including "Break Up" for Lewis, "The Ways of a
Woman in Love" for Cash, and "I'm Comin' Home" for Mann, which was later cut by Elvis Presley.

In August of 1958, Rich released his first single, "Whirlwind," for the Sun subsidiary Phillips International.
Throughout 1959, he recorded a number of songs at Sun, though only a handful were actually released.
Rich didn't have a hit until 1960, when his third Phillips International single, "Lonely Weekends," became a
Top 30 pop hit. However, none of its seven follow-up singles were a success, though several of the songs
would become staples in his set, including "Who Will the Next Fool Be?," "Sittin' and Thinkin'," and
"Midnight Blues." In the early '60s, Rich's career remained stalled. He left Sun Records in 1964, signing
with Groove, a newly established subsidiary of RCA. His first single, "Big Boss Man," was an
underground, word-of-mouth hit, but its Chet Atkins-produced follow-ups all stiffed. On Groove, he jazzily
interpreted standards, but he also performed a handful of originals, including "Tomorrow Night" and
"I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore." Groove went out of business by the beginning of 1965, leaving
Rich without a record contract.

Under the direction of Shelby Singleton, Smash Records signed Rich early in 1965. Singleton and Rich's
producer, Jerry Kennedy, encouraged the pianist to emphasize his country and rock & roll leanings. The
first single for Smash was "Mohair Sam," an R&B-inflected novelty number written by Dallas Frazier.
"Mohair Sam" became a Top 30 pop hit, but none of its follow-ups were successful. Again, Rich changed
labels, moving over to Hi Records, where he recorded straight country, but none of his singles for the label
made any impression on the country charts.

Despite his lack of consistent commercial success, Epic Records signed Rich in 1967, mainly on the
recommendation of producer Billy Sherrill. Sherrill helped Rich refashion himself as a Nashville-based,
smooth, middle-of-the-road balladeer. At first, the singles were only moderately successful —
"Set Me Free" and "Raggedy Ann" charted in the mid-40s in 1968 — but persistence paid off in the
summer of 1972, when "I Take It on Home" rocketed to number six. "I Take It on Home" set the stage for
Rich's big breakthrough into the mainstream, 1973's Behind Closed Doors album. The title track from the
record became a number one hit early in 1973, crossing over into the Top 20 on the pop charts. Following
the success of "Behind Closed Doors," RCA re-released "Tomorrow Night," which reached the Top 30,
but it was "The Most Beautiful Girl," the proper follow-up to his first number one single, that established
him as a star. "The Most Beautiful Girl" spent three weeks at the top of the country charts and two weeks
at the top of the pop charts. 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 for the title track. The album was
also certified gold, 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 — "There Won't Be Anymore" (re-released
from his RCA sessions), "A Very Special Love Song," "I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore" (also from
RCA), "I Love My Friend," and "She Called Me Baby" (RCA) all topped the country charts, and several of
the songs also crossed over into the pop charts. Mercury began re-releasing his Smash recordings, and
two of them — "A Field of Yellow Daisies" and "Something Just Came Over Me" — became minor hits.
All of this success led the CMA to name him Entertainer of the Year in 1974.

Rich didn't quite dominate the charts in 1975 as he did the previous year, but he did have three Top Five
hits: "My Elusive Dreams," "Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High)," and "All Over Me," plus the Top
Ten "Since I Fell For You." Even though he was at the peak of his popularity, Rich had begun to drink
heavily, causing considerable problems off-stage. His destructive behavior culminated at the CMA
ceremony for 1975, when he presented the award for that year's Entertainer of the Year. Instead of reading
the name of the winner, he set fire to the certificate that named the new winner, who happened to be John
Denver. Fans and industry insiders were outraged, and Rich had trouble having hits throughout 1976 —
none of his singles cracked the Top 20.

The slump in his career couldn't be completely attributed to Rich's behavior. His records had begun to
sound increasingly similar, as he and Sherrill were working over the same territory they began exploring in
1968. There were exceptions — such as 1976's acclaimed gospel record, Silver Linings — but it took Rich
until 1977 to break back into the Top Ten with the number one "Rollin' With the Flow." Early in 1978, he
signed with United Artists and throughout that year had hits on both Epic and UA. Rich worked at United
Artists with Larry Butler, a producer who had a similar style to Sherrill. Epic continued to have hits, as
"Beautiful Woman" reached the Top Ten in the summer and a duet with Janie Fricke, "On My Knees,"
became his last number one hit that fall. "I'll Wake You Up When I Get Home," taken from the Clint
Eastwood movie Every Which Way but Loose, was a number three hit early in 1979; it would be his last
Top Ten single.

Rich struggled to have a big hit throughout 1979, but none of his singles were anything more than a minor
success. In 1980, he switched labels to Elektra, resulting in the number 12 single "A Man Just Don't Know
What a Woman Goes Through" in the fall of that year. One more Top 40 hit followed — "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 in semiretirement and only playing the occasional concert. He returned in 1992 with
Pictures and Paintings, a jazzy record produced by journalist Peter Guralnick and released on Sire.

Pictures and Paintings received positive reviews and restored Rich's reputation, but it would be his last
record. Rich died from a blood clot in his lung in the summer of 1995, when he was travelling to Florida
with his wife, Margaret Ann.




Discography

LONELY WEEKENDS WITH CHARLIE RICH Philips Int. PLP 1970 1961
Lonely Weekends (-/22), School Days, Whirlwind, Stay, CC Rider, Come Back, Gonna Be Waitin', Apple Blossom Time, Breakup, That's How Much I Love You, Rebound, Juanita

BIG BOSS MAN Groove 1000 1964
Big Boss Man, River Stay 'way, Big Jack, My Mountain Dew, She Loved Everybody But Me, Let Me Go On Merry Way, Ol' Man River, Grass Is Always Greener, Ways Of A Woman In Love, Why Oh Why, Rosanna, Are You Still My Baby

MANY NEW SIDES Smash SRS 67070 1965
Mohair Sam (-/21), I Can't Go On, Dance Of Love, Field Of Yellow Daisies, I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water, Everything I Do Is Wrong, She's A Yum Yum, It Ain't Gonna Be That Way, Just A Little Bit Of You, Moonshine Minnie, Down And Out, Lonely Weekends, Those Places Around Town, Yes Ma'am, Time's A Wasting

THAT'S RICH RCA Victor LSP 3352 1965
Too Many Teardrops, I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore, Now Everybody Knows (56/-), Tomorrow Night, Like Someone In Love, No Room To Dance, Turn Around And Face Me, Big Build Up, Is Goodbye That Easy To Say, If I Knew Then What I Know Now, It's All Over Now, It Just Goes To Show

BEST YEARS Smash SRS 67078 1966
No Home, So Long, Best Years, Pretty Girl, You Can Have Her, Have I Stayed Away Too Long, Hawg Jaw, Something Just Came Over Me (71/-), Double Dog Dare Me, Just A Little Bit Of Time, Blowin' Town, Tear's A Go-Go

BIG BOSS MAN RCA Victor LSP 3537 1966
12th Of Never, Big Jack, She Loved Everybody But Me, Ways Of A Woman In Love, Are You Still My Baby, Let Me Go My Merry Way, Mountain Dew, Big Boss Man, There Won't Be Anymore, Why Oh Why, Grass Is Always Greener, Nice'n Easy

SET ME FREE Epic BN 26376 1968
Set Me Free (44/-), By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Proudest Loneliest Fool, I Miss You So, Just Like Old Times, Try A Little Tenderness, H-2-O, Very Much Alone, I'll Just Go Away, That's The Day, Got To See My Baby

LONELY WEEKENDS Sun 110 1969
Lonely Weekends, Unchained Melody, Stay, CC Rider, Rebound, That's How Much I Love You, Who Will The Next Fool Be (67/-), Big Man, I Need Your Love, Break Up, Sittin' And Thinkin'

BOSS MAN (44/-) Epic E 30214 1970
Nice'n Easy, Have A Heart, Down On The River, I Can't Even Drink It Away, Memphis And Arkansas Bridge, Big Boss Man, Hello Darlin', Golden Slipper Rose, I'll Be More Than Happy To Set You Free, My Joy, I Do My Swinging At Home

FABULOUS Epic BN 26514 1970
I Almost Lost My Mind, Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs (41/-), San Francisco Is A Lonely Town, Sittin' And Thinkin', July The 12th 1939 (47/85), Bright Lights Big City, Raggedy Ann (You've Been Quite A Doll) (45/-), Have You Ever Been Lonely, Picture Of You, Love Awaits For Me, It Makes Me Wanta Cry

SHE LOVED EVERYBODY BUT ME RCA Camden CAS 2417 1970
She Loved Everybody But Me, Is Goodbye That Easy, Ol' Man River, I've Got You Under My Skin, I'm Gonna Sit Down And Write Myslef A Letter, Tomorrow Night, I Never Make That Same Mistake Again, River Stay 'way

TIME FOR TEARS Sun 123 1971
Gentle As A Lamb, Wedding Is Over, (You're) Gonna Be Waiting, Midnight Blues, My Heart Cries For You, Goodbye Mary Ann, Finally Find Out, Baby I Need You, It's Too Late, I've Lost My Heart To You, My Baby Done Left Me

THE BEST (4/89) Epic KE 31933 1972
Nice'n Easy, Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs, Woman Left Lonely (72/-), Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast, Part Of Your Life (35/-), Big Boss Man, Sittin' And Thinkin', I Take It On Home (35/-), July The 12th 1939, I Do My Swinging At Home, Set Me Free

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (1/8) Epic KE 32247 1973
Behind Closed Doors (1/15), If You Wouldn't Be My Lady, You Never Really Wanted Me, Sunday Kind Of Woman, Peace On You, Most Beautiful Girl (1/1), I Take It On Home, Till I Can't Take It Anymore, We Love Each Other, I'm Not Going Hungry Anymore, Nothing In The World (To Do With Me)

I DO MY SWINGING AT HOME Harmony KH 32166 1973
Sittin' And Thinkin', Proudest Loneliest Fool, Mama Take Me Home, Have A Heart, Have You Ever Been Lonely, Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs, Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast, Golden Slipper Rose, Papa Was A Good Man, I Do My Swinging At Home

TOMORROW NIGHT (24/-) RCA Victor APL1 0258 1973
Tomorrow Night (29/-), There Won't Be Anymore (1/18), Is Goodbye That Easy To Say, She Loved Everybody But Me, Grass Is Always Greener, Big Boss Man, Ways Of A Woman In Love, 12th Of Never, River Stay Away From My Door, My Mountain Dew

EARLY YEARS Sun 132 1974
Easy Money, Graveyardville, I've Lost My Heart To You, Philadelphia Baby, Right Behind You Baby, That's Rich, Sad News, Big Man, Juanita, My Heart Cries For You

FOR THE LOVE OF BENJI Epic KE 33010 1974
Sunshine Smiles, Olympic Jet, Airport Chase, Benji Lost, Benji At The Fountain, Big Dog Bone, Big Dog Sausage, Benji At The Market, Benji's Theme (I Feel Love), Benji Unhappy, Hotel Reject, Doberman Chase, Hotel Run, Car Chase, Hotel Caravel, Slo Mo Cindy, Benji's Theme (I Feel Love)

GOLDEN TREASURE Sun 134 1974
Gonna Be Waitin', Little By Little, Come Back, Apple Blossom Time, Ballad Of Billy Joe, Everything I Do Is Wrong, Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair, Midnight Blues, On My Knees, Time And Again

MEMPHIS SOUND Sun 133 1974
CC Rider, Finally Found Out, I Need Your Love, It's Too Late, Just A Little Bit Sweet, My Baby Done Left Me, Rebound, Stay, Wedding Is Over, Whirlwind

SHE CALLED ME BABY (10/84) RCA Victor APL1 0686 1974
She Called Me Baby (1/47), Are You Still My Baby, Big Jack, Let Me Go My Merry Way, Tragedy, Share Your Love With Me, I'm Right Behind You, Ol' Man River, I Need A Thing Called Love, Ten Dollars And A Clean White Shirt

SILVER FOX (1/25) Epic KE 33250 1974
Silver Fox, Ronda A-la Charlie, Don't Put No Headstone On My Grave, Charlie's Swing, Breakup, Behind Closed Doors, I Felt Like Going Home, I Love My Friend (1/24), Your Place Is Here With Me, My Elusive Dreams (3/49), Whatever Happened, Pieces Of My Life

SONGS OF HANK WILLIAMS (33/177) Hi 32084 1974
My Heart Would Know, Take These Chains From My Heart, Half As Much, You Win Again, I Can't Help It, Hey Good Lookin', Your Cheatin' Heart, Cold Cold Heart, Nobody's Lonesome For Me, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Wedding Bells, They'll Never Take Her Love From Me

SUN'S BEST Sun 135 1974
Baby I Need You, Break Up, Gentle As A Lamb, Goodbye Mary Ann, School Days, Stop Thief, Who Will The Next Fool Be

THERE WON'T BE ANYMORE (1/36) RCA Victor APL1 0433 1974
I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore (1/47), Too Many Teardrops, Big Build Up, Turn Around And Face Me, It Just Goes To Show, There Won't Be Anymore, It's All Over Now (23/-), No Room To Dance, If I Knew Then What I Know Now, Nice'n Easy

VERY SPECIAL LOVE SONG (1/24) Epic KE 32531 1974
Very Special Love Song (1/11), Why Don't We Go Somewhere And Love, Take Time To Love, Satisfied Man, Field Of Yellow Daisies (23/-), There Won't Be Anymore, Why Oh Why, Almost Persuaded, He Follows My Footsteps, Stay, Pretty People

EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH ME (1/54) Epic KE 33455 1975
All Over Me (4/-), Little Bit Here (A Little Bit There), Mellow Melody, Since I Fell For You (10/71), Pass On By, Rendezvous, She, You And I, Midnight Blues, Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High) (3/19)

GREATEST HITS RCA Victor APL1 0857 1975
Big Boss Man, Caught In The Middle, I Don't See Me In Your Arms Anymore, Lonely Weekends, My Mountain Dew (24/-), She Called Me Baby, Sittin' And Thinkin', There Won't Be Anymore, Tomorrow Night, Who Will The Next Fool Be

SILVER LINNINGS (25/-) Epic KE 33545 1975
Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Down By The Riverside, Why Me, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord, Old Time Religion, Just A Closer Walk With Thee, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Amazing Grace, Milky Way, Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child

TOO MANY TEARDROPS RCA Camden ACL 7001 1975
Too Many Teardrops, Big Build Up, Like Someone In Love, No Room To Dance, Turn Around And Face Me, Big Jack, If I Knew Then What I Know Now, Let Me Go On Merry Way, Why Oh Why

GREATEST HITS (6/148) Epic PE 34240 1976
Most Beautiful Girl, Very Special Love Song, Since I Fell For You, My Elusive Dreams, Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High), Behind Closed Doors, Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs, All Over Me, I Love My Friend, America The Beautiful (22/-)

NOW EVERYBODY KNOWS RCA Victor ANL1 1251 1976
Now Everybody Knows, Gentelman Jim, Like Someone In Love, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter, There Won't Be Anymore, (My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers, Why Oh Why, Lady Love, I've Got You Under My Skin, Rosanna

20 GOLDEN HITS Sun 1003 1977
Break Up, CC Rider, Caught In The Middle, Gentle As A Lamb, Gonna Be Waitin', Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair, Lonely Weekends, My Baby Done Left Me, My Heart Cries For You, Philadelphia Baby, School Days, Sittin' And Thinkin', Stay, That's How Much I Love You, There Won't Be Anymore, Unchained Melody, There's Another Place I Can't Go, Wedding Is Over, Whirlwind, Who Will The Next Fool Be

ROLLIN' WITH THE FLOW (19/180) Epic PE 34891 1977
Rollin' With The Flow (1/-), Somebody Wrote That Song For Me, Windsong, That's What Love Is, Night Talk, Beautiful Woman (10/-), To Sing A Love Song, Love Survived, Somewhere In My Lifetime, That's The Way A Cowboy Rocks And Rolls

TAKE ME (22/-) Epic PE 34444 1977
On My Knees (1/-), Easy Look (12/-), Even A Fool Let Go, Mood Indigo, Where Do We Go From There, Spanish Eyes (20/-), Take Me, Wisdom Of A Fool, My Lady, Road Song

FOOL STRIKES AGAIN U.Artists 925H 1978
Fool Strikes Again (45/-), I'd Even Let You Go, I Lost My Head, Born To Love Me, Lady, Somewhere There's A Love Song, She Knows Just How To Touch Me, Life Goes On (84/-), Standing Tall, I Loved You All The Way

I STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE (29/-) U.Artists 876H 1978
Puttin' In Overtime At Home, Wishful Thinking, Lovin' Kind, I Still Believe In Love, Saddest Love Song, Keep The Night Away, Let The Little Bird Fly, Who's Gonna Love Me Now, Ghost Of Another Man, Walls

NOBODY BUT YOU Liberty LT 998 1980
Your're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning (22/-), Love Is A Cold Wind, Lovers, Nobody But You, Heart Side Two, I'd Build A Bridge, Life Goes On, Let Me Touch Where She's Been, All You Ever Have To Do, Is Touch Me, Till You Come Back Again

ONCE A DRIFTER (52/-) Elektra 6E 301 1980
Once A Drifter, Man Just Don't Know What A Woman Got (12/-), Angelina, I Love My Lady, Wonderful Night, When It's Gone (It's Just Gone), Marie, Dream On Me, Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues, Are We Dreamin' The Same Dream (26/-)

COMPLETE SMASH SESSIONS Mercury 512643 1993
Dance Of Love, No Man Town, Mohair Sam, I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water, Down And Out, I Can't Go On, Best Years, Field Of Yellow Daisies, Something Just Came Over Me, When My Baby Comes Home, She's A Yum Yum, Double Dog Dare Me, Just A Little Bit Of You, Santa Claus Daughter, Just A Little Bit Of Time, Hawg Jaw, Moonshine Minnie, Have I Stayed Away Too Long, It Ain't Gonna Be This Way, That's My Way, Everything I Do Is Wrong, Party Girl, You Can Have Her, Lonely Weekends, Blowin' Town, Tears A Go-go, No Home, So Long, Let The Party Roll On

AMERICAN ORIGINALS Columbia FC 45073 1989
Rollin' With The Flow, I Take It On Home, Most Beautiful Girl, Behind Closed Doors, On My Knees, Beautiful Woman, Since I Fell For You, Easy Look, All Over Me, My Elusive Dreams

PICTURES AND PAINTING Sire 26730 1992
Pictures And Paintings, You Don't Know Me, Don't Put No Headstone On My Grave, Anywhere You Are, Somebody Broke Into My Heart, Mood Indigo, Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High), Juice Head Baby, Am I Blue, Go Ahead And Cry, Feel Like Going Home

ESSENTIAL Columbia 64762 1997
Lonely Weekends, Break Up, Who Will The Next Fool Be, Sittin' And Thinkin', There's Another Place I Can't Go, Let Me Go My Merry Way, River Stay Way From My Door, There Won't Be Anymore, Big Boss Man, Mohair Sam, I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water, Field Of Yellow Daisies, Down And Out, You Can Have Her, No Home, When Something Is Wrong With My Baby, Milky White Way, Feel Like Going Home, Set Me Free, Stay, I Almost Lost My Mind, I Miss You So, Your Place Is Here With Me, Nice'n Easy, Why Oh Why, Don't Put No Headstone On My Grave, Have A Heart, Peace On You, You Never Really Wanted Me, Woman Left Lonely, Life's Little Ups And Downs, Behind Closed Doors, Most Beautiful Girl, Since I Fell For You, Pictures And Paintings, Feel Like Going Home

16 BIGGEST HITS Clumbia 69740 2000
I Take It On Home, Behind Closed Doors, Most Beautiful Girl, Very Special Love Song, I Love My Friend, My Elusive Dreams, Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High), All Over Me, Since I Fell For You, America The Beautiful, Easy Look, Rollin' With The Flow, Beautiful Woman, On My Knees, Spanish Eyes, Amazing Grace

LONELY WEEKENDS Bear Family BCD 16152 1999
Complete Sun recordings 1958-1963
Don't have the lyrics listed here but should br easy to find




LONELY WEEKENDS Bear Family BCD 16152 1999
Complete Sun recordings 1958-1963

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