Charlie Rich Biography

Home	Music	Video	Stock Footage	Help

Original Recordings by the Original Artists!

Charlie Rich
Country Music | 3 CD Set
Reg. $24.99 ON SALE!
$19.99

Charlie Rich grew up in an atmosphere that has spawned many country artists: His parents were cotton farmers who sang and played organ in the church choir, and he learned blues from the cotton pickers on the farm, which was in Arkansas. Yet Rich, who would turn prematurely gray and be called the "Silver Fox" later, loved the music of progressive artist Stan Kenton; his nickname even became Charlie Kenton. He played piano and saxophone and studied music at the University of Arkansas and later, in the Air Force, he had a small group called the Velvetones. Rich, born in 1932, continued his jazz affinity by playing in clubs after leaving the service. He met Sun Records head Sam Phillips, but Phillips thought Rich's music was too jazz-tinged to be successful on his early rock 'n roll label. His producer at the time gave him some Jerry Lee Lewis records and told him to learn that style. It worked to the point that Rich became a studio player for Sun and a songwriter whose tunes would eventually be recorded by Johnny Cash, Bill Justis, Carl Mann, and even Elvis Presley ("I'm Comin' Home"). His "The Ballad of Billy Joe," a sequel to the hit song of the day "Don't Take Your Guns To Town," was done by Lewis and Rich, who then finally made his first record in 1958 with "Whirlwind." And his first Top 40 hit came in 1960 with "Lonely Weekends," a song with hints of early Elvis that reached No. 22 but suffered from schmaltzy vocal backing. Five years later, his novelty "Mohair Sam" got up to No. 21 and eight years later his first of several pop hits, "Behind Closed Doors," finally got his career in high gear. He followed that with the chart-topping "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" and four successive Top 25 hits into 1975. Between 1960 and 1973, Rich wrote music, played, had some club success, suffered some family problems associated with drinking, and moved from Sun to RCA Records in Nashville. He tried a jazz-oriented style with standards (Cole Porter, Jerome Kern et al) but that went nowhere. Country music beckoned in the late '60s and Rich eventually had a number of hits on the country charts, starting with "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs" and "I Take It On Home" and culminating with "Behind Closed Doors," a No. 1 on the country list and used in the Clint Eastwood film, "Every Which Way But Loose." The album BEHIND CLOSED DOORS included songs by him, his wife Margaret and son Allan and it became a hit. Rich was named Entertainer of the Year in 1974 by the Country Music Association and in the following year's announcement of the winner, Rich, who was supposed to announce the 1975 winner, instead burned the envelope, this event causing much consternation in the country music community. After 1975, his career began diminishing even as the occasional hit came along. But he did record a successful gospel album, SILVER LININGS. He made a big return in 1992 with the album PICTURES AND PAINTINGS and it proved to be a most satisfying work with some inventive playing amid reworkings of some earlier hits but also proved to be his swan song. He died in 1995. One critic said that Rich's jazz-tinged artistry and smoky vocals were world-class but his attempts at commercial success became a burden on that talent.

TIMELESS MEDIA GROUP 100% GUARANTEED
If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase you may return it for a prompt refund, credit or exchange. Click here for details

All Items Usually Ship Within 24 Hours!