Charlie Rich

This article is about country musician Charlie Rich. For other individuals, see Charles Rich .

Charlie Rich 1973

Charles Allan "Charlie" Rich (* 14. December 1932 in Forrest City , Arkansas ; † 24. July 1995 in Hammond , Louisiana ) was an American country - singer .

Life

First steps

Charlie Rich was influenced by jazz and blues from an early age . He formed his first band, The Velvetones, while he was in the US Air Force in Oklahoma . The lead singer was his fiancée and future wife, Magaret Ann. After his military service, he worked for Judd Phillips, the brother of Sun Records owner Sam Phillips .

Sam Phillips asked the young musician to produce a few demo tapes , which, however, were not well received. They were too jazz oriented to be commercialized . Charlie Rich got a few old rock and roll singles on his way home and was asked to write something similar. And he actually did it. Some of his songs have been interpreted by established stars such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash .

Career

From 1958, Rich began even accommodate singles at Phillips International , a sub label from Sun appeared. After two unsuccessful singles in 1958 and 1959, Lonely Weekends made it to number 22 on the US singles chart . The next records flopped again, and in 1963 Charlie Rich moved to Groove , an RCA subsidiary . This collaboration resulted in his famous song Big Boss Man . In 1965, Rich signed a recording deal with Smash , a subsidiary of Mercury , and had the hit Mohair Sam , which came to number 21 on the singles charts, as an entry . But this modest success could not be repeated. He changed labels again, recorded a total of three singles for Hi from 1966 to 1967 and ended up with Epic Records in 1967 , where he was supervised by the influential producer Billy Sherrill .

Some quite remarkable records have been produced at Epic. The breakthrough came in 1973 with Behind Closed Doors , which topped the country charts, went gold and even made it into the pop top 20. The album of the same name was awarded four times platinum . Rich received a 1974 Grammy for the song Behind Closed Doors for Best Male Country Vocal Performance . This success was even surpassed with the next single, which reached top positions worldwide, received a gold record and became a classic: The Most Beautiful Girl . In 1974, Rich sang the theme song I Feel Love from the Oscar-nominated film Benji.

His success lasted until the mid-1970s, when Rich was supposed to present "Entertainer of the Year" at the CMA Awards ceremony . Drunk he lit the envelope with the name of the winner ( John Denver ) in front of the cameras . Charlie Rich was done for. But he made a comeback two years later and placed himself in the charts several times. He produced his last number one hit, On My Knees , in 1978 with Janie Fricke . He ended his career in the early 1980s.

Charlie Rich died of a pulmonary embolism in 1995 . He was successful for a decade with his hoarse-voiced country ballads.

Discography

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
		UK	US	Country
1970	Boss Man	-	-	Country44 (4 weeks) Country
1973	Behind closed doors	UK4th gold (26 weeks)UK	US8th × 4 Quadruple platinum (105 weeks)US	Country1 (100 weeks) Country
	Tomorrow Night	-	-	Country24 (12 weeks) Country
1974	Charlie Rich Sings the Songs of Hank Williams & Others	-	US177 (4 weeks) US	Country33 (5 weeks) Country
	She called me baby	-	US84 (15 weeks) US	Country10 (11 weeks) Country
	There won't be anymore	-	US36 gold (27 weeks)US	Country1 (30 weeks) Country
	Very Special Love Songs	UK34 (2 weeks) UK	US24 gold (31 weeks)US	Country1 (39 weeks) Country
1975	Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High)	-	US54 (20 weeks) US	Country1 (22 weeks) Country
	The Silver Fox	-	US25 (17 weeks) US	Country1 (20 weeks) Country
1976	Silver linings	-	US160 (6 weeks) US	Country25 (8 weeks) Country
1977	Rollin 'with the flow	-	US180 (3 weeks) US	Country19 (12 weeks) Country
	Take me	-	-	Country22 (9 weeks) Country
1980	Once a drifter	-	-	Country52 (5 weeks) Country

More albums

1960: Lonely Weekends 1964: Charlie Rich 1965: The Many New Sides of Charlie Rich 1966: The Best Years 1967: Charlie Rich Sings Country & Western 1968: Set Me Free 1969: The Fabulous Charlie Rich 1970: A Time for Tears 1970: She Loved Everybody but Me 1974: The Memphis Sound

1977: So Lonesome I Could Cry 1978: I Still Believe in Love 1978: The Fool Strikes Again 1979: Trio + (with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins ) 1979: Nobody but You 1980: Mellow Sounds 1982: You and I 1984: Rich & Mellow 1985: At the Country Store 1992: Pictures and Paintings

Compilations

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
		UK	US	Country
1972	The Best of Charlie Rich	-	US89 (19 weeks) US	Country4 (40 weeks) Country	Chart entry only in 1974
1974	Fully Realized	-	-	Country11 (21 weeks) Country
1975	Greatest hits	-	US162 (4 weeks) US	Country14 (13 weeks) Country	RCA
1976	Greatest hits	-	US148 (6 weeks) US	Country6 (17 weeks) Country	Epic
	The World of Charlie Rich	-	-	Country22 (7 weeks) Country
1977	Big Boss Man / My Mountain Dew	-	-	Country38 (4 weeks) Country
1978	Classic Rich	-	-	Country29 (14 weeks) Country
	Classic Rich Vol. 2	-	-	Country29 (16 weeks) Country

More compilations

1966: Big Boss Man! 1969: Lonely Weekends 1969: A Lonely Weekend with Charlie Rich 1973: I Do My Swingin 'at Home 1973: Charlie Rich 1974: There Won't Be Anymore 1974: Lonely Weekends 1974: The Greatest! 1974: Sun's Best of Charlie Rich 1974: The Early Years 1974: Golden Treasures 1975: Greatest Hits Volume 1 (with Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash ) 1975: Too Many Teardrops 1975: The Entertainer 1976: Charlie Rich Favorites 1977: The Rich Collection 1977: The Sun Story Vol. 2 1978: The Original Charlie Rich 1978: The Most Beautiful Girl

1981: Country Music 1985: At the Country Store 1985: Original Hits and Midnight Demos (2 LPs) 1986: Don't Put No Headstone on My Grave 1988: I'll Shed No Tears - The Best of the Hi Recordings 1992: The Complete Smash Sessions 1993: Greatest Hits 1993: gold 1997: The Very Best of Charlie Rich 1997: Feel Like Going Home: The Essential Charlie Rich (2 CDs) 1998: Lonely Weekends: The Sun Years 1958-1962 (box with 3 CDs) 1999: The Best of Charlie Rich 1999: Groove Recordings 1999: 16 biggest hits 2000: Love Songs 2001: The Sun Years 2004: That's Rich 2005: Set Me Free / The Fabulous Charlie Rich (The Epic Recordings) 2009: The Complete Sun Masters (box with 3 CDs) 2009: Charlie Rocks

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	UK	US	Country
1960	Lonely Weekends Lonely Weekends	-	-	US22 (21 weeks) US	-
1965	Mohair Sam The Many New Sides of Charlie Rich	-	-	US21 (11 weeks) US	-
1968	Set Me Free Set Me Free	-	-	-	Country44 (8 weeks) Country
	Raggedy Ann The Fabulous Charlie Rich	-	-	-	Country45 (8 weeks) Country
1969	Life's Little Ups and Downs The Fabulous Charlie Rich	-	-	-	Country41 (11 weeks) Country
1970	July 12, 1939 The Fabulous Charlie Rich	-	-	US85 (4 weeks) US	Country47 (6 weeks) Country
	Nice'n Easy Boss Man	-	-	-	Country37 (12 weeks) Country
1971	A Woman Left Lonely The Best of Charlie Rich	-	-	-	Country72 (2 weeks) Country
	A Part of Your Life The Best of Charlie Rich	-	-	-	Country35 (13 weeks) Country
1972	I Take It on Home Behind Closed Doors	-	-	-	Country6 (17 weeks) Country
1973	Behind Closed Doors Behind Closed Doors	-	UK16 (10 weeks) UK	US15th gold (19 weeks)US	Country1 (20 weeks) Country
	The Most Beautiful Girl Behind Closed Doors	DE14 (23 weeks) DE	UK2 (14 weeks) UK	US1 gold (22 weeks)US	Country1 (18 weeks) Country
	We Love Each Other Behind Closed Doors	-	UK37 (5 weeks) UK	-	-	Chart entry in UK only in 1975
1974	A Very Special Love Song Very Special Love Songs	-	-	US11 (14 weeks) US	Country1 (14 weeks) Country
	I Love My Friend The Silver Fox	-	-	US24 (13 weeks) US	Country1 (15 weeks) Country
1975	My Elusive Dreams The Silver Fox	-	-	US49 (6 weeks) US	Country3 (12 weeks) Country
	Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High) Every Time You Touch Me	-	-	US19 (12 weeks) US	Country3 (17 weeks) Country
	All Over Me Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High)	-	-	US19 (12 weeks) US	Country4 (14 weeks) Country
	Since I Fell for You Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High)	-	-	US71 (6 weeks) US	Country10 (13 weeks) Country
1976	America the Beautiful Greatest Hits	-	-	-	Country22 (10 weeks) Country
	Road Song	-	-	-	Country27 (9 weeks) Country
1977	Easy Look Take Me	-	-	-	Country12 (13 weeks) Country
	Rollin 'with the flow Rollin' with the flow	-	-	-	Country1 (19 weeks) Country
1978	Puttin 'in Overtime at Home I Still Believe in Love	-	-	-	Country8 (14 weeks) Country
	I Still Believe in You I Still Believe in Love	-	-	-	Country46 (8 weeks) Country
1979	The Fool Strikes Again The Fool Strikes Again	-	-	-	Country45 (8 weeks) Country
	I Lost My Head The Fool Strikes Again	-	-	-	Country26 (11 weeks) Country
	Life Goes On The Fool Strikes Again	-	-	-	Country84 (4 weeks) Country
	You're Gonna Love Yourself in the Morning Nobody but You	-	-	-	Country22 (13 weeks) Country
1980	I'd Build a Bridge Nobody but You	-	-	-	Country74 (5 weeks) Country
	A Man Just Don't Know What a Woman Goes Through Once a Drifter	-	-	-	Country12 (14 weeks) Country
1981	Are We Dreamin 'the Same Dream Once a Drifter	-	-	-	Country26 (11 weeks) Country
	You Made It Beautiful	-	-	-	Country47 (7 weeks) Country

More singles

1958: Whirlwind 1959: rebound 1960: On My Knees 1960: Gonna Be Waitin ' 1961: Just a Little Bit Sweet 1962: There's Another Place I Can't Go 1962: Sittin 'and Thinkin' 1963: Let Me Go My Merry Way 1963: She Loved Everybody but Me 1964: Nice and Easy 1964: My Mountain Dew 1964: Why, Oh Why 1965: I Can't Go On

1966: Nobody's Lonesome for Me 1966: Hawg Jaw 1966: Love Is After Me 1973: A Sunday Kind of Woman 1973: The Ways of a Woman in Love 1974: Sharif Dean 1974: Your Place Is Here with Me (EP) 1975: You and I 1975: I've Got You Under My Skin 1976: Why Don't We Go Somewhere and Love 1976: The Grass Is Always Greener 1977: Easy Look 1978: She Knows Just How to Touch Me 1982: As Time Goes By (with Ray Conniff )

Promosingles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	UK	US	Country
1970	Who Will the Next Fool Be Lonely Weekends	-	-	-	Country67 (5 weeks) Country
1973	Tomorrow Night Tomorrow Night	-	-	US18 (15 weeks) US	Country29 (11 weeks) Country
	There Won't Be Anymore There Won't Be Anymore	-	-	US18 (15 weeks) US	Country1 (17 weeks) Country
1974	I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore There Won't Be Anymore	-	-	US47 (6 weeks) US	Country1 (13 weeks) Country
	A Field of Yellow Daisies Very Special Love Songs	-	-	-	Country23 (12 weeks) Country
	She Called Me Baby She Called Me Baby	-	-	US47 (7 weeks) US	Country1 (15 weeks) Country
	Something Just Came Over Me	-	-	-	Country71 (5 weeks) Country
1975	It's All Over Now There Won't Be Anymore	-	-	-	Country23 (12 weeks) Country
	Now Everybody Knows	-	-	-	Country56 (7 weeks) Country
1977	My Mountain Dew Greatest Hits	-	-	-	Country24 (12 weeks) Country
1978	Beautiful woman rollin 'with the flow	-	-	-	Country10 (13 weeks) Country
	On My Knees Take Me	-	-	-	Country1 (14 weeks) Country	with Janie Fricke
1979	I'll Wake You Up When I Get Home Every Which Way but Loose OST	-	-	-	Country3 (14 weeks) Country
	Spanish Eyes Take Me	-	-	-	Country20 (13 weeks) Country
1980	Even a Fool Would Let Go Take Me	-	-	-	Country61 (7 weeks) Country

Awards for music sales

Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.

Country / Region	gold	platinum	Sales	swell
Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources)
United States (RIAA)	4 × gold4th	4 × platinum4th	7,000,000	riaa.com
United Kingdom (BPI)	gold1	-	100,000	bpi.co.uk
All in all	5 × gold5	4 × platinum4th

literature

• Escott, Colin / Hawkins, Martin: Good Rockin 'Tonight. Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll . New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991, pp. 214-219 - ISBN 0-312-05439-4 .
• Stambler, Irwin: The Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd Revised Edition, New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, pp. 568-570 - ISBN 0-312-02573-4 .

swell

1. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Record Research Inc., Menomonee Falls / Wisconsin 1994, p. 497
2. ↑ For more information on this title, see Bronson, Fred: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, 1992, p. 351
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Chart sources: DE UK US
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Music Sales Awards: US

Web links

Commons : Charlie Rich  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website
• Sound carrier by Charlie Rich in the catalog of the German National Library
• Charlie Rich at Allmusic (English)
• Charlie Rich at Discogs (English)