Claude King
Claude King (born February 5, 1923 in Shreveport , Louisiana , † March 7, 2013 there ) was an American country singer .
Musical career
King grew up on a farm near the place where he was born. He became enthusiastic about music at an early age, and when he was twelve he built himself a guitar. During his school days he excelled at baseball and football, then he formed the three-man band The Rainbow Boys , which performed around Shreveport. In 1942 he was drafted into the Navy and took part in World War II . After the end of the war he attended a business college, after which he worked in a construction company. In addition, he brought his old band back to life, which in 1947 managed to record their own record with the small record company President.
From 1949, King began recording solo singles . His first record company was the small label Pacemaker from his hometown Shreveport. This was followed by the Gotham and Specialty labels until 1953 and, after a break of four years, a single on the Texan label Dee-Jay. While all of these records were unsuccessful, King was more successful as a songwriter during this time and helped Webb Pierce, among others, to a number one hit in the country charts with the title That Heart Belongs To Me in 1952. In addition, he played several tours in his closer home, where he also appeared together with his friend Johnny Horton .
After Johnny Horton's death, Tillman Franks, who had previously worked with Claude King on the Rainbow Boys, became King's manager in 1961. He helped him to a recording contract with the large record company Columbia Records . The very first Columbia record was a success, because with the title Big River, Big Man King came seventh on the Billboard country charts. By 1972 King was in the country charts with 28 consecutive titles. His greatest success was the song Wolverton Mountain , which he wrote himself and which topped the country charts in 1962 and reached sixth place on the Billboard Hot 100 . The record was sold over three million times and was awarded a gold record in Canada .
After more than 30 single releases and five long-playing records ran out in 1973 King's record deal with Columbia. A few more releases followed with smaller labels until King withdrew from the music business in the mid-1980s. In addition to his numerous record releases, two film roles in the strips Swamp Girl (1971) and Year of the Wahoo (1972) belong to his career. He spent his old age again in Shreveport, where he died in his house in 2013 at the age of 90. He was married to his wife Barbara for 67 years and had three sons.
Discography
Albums
published | title | Catalog no. |
---|---|---|
1962 | Meet Claude King | Columbia CS 8610 |
1965 | Tiger Woman | Columbia CS 9215 |
1968 | The Best Of Claude King | Harmony HS 11300 |
1969 | I remember Johnny Horton | Columbia CS 9790 |
1970 | Friend Lover Woman Wife | Columbia CS 1024 |
1971 | Chip'n Dale's Place | Columbia CS 30804 |
1989 | American Originals | Columbia FC 45075 |
1994 | More Than Climbing That Mountain | Bear Family |
1999 | Wolverton Mountain | Collectables |
2003 | Cowboy in the White House | Sun Record |
2007 | Claude King Live! | Goliath |
Singles
released | From page | Catalog no. |
---|---|---|
Pacemaker | ||
1949 | A Million Mistakes / Why Should I | HB 1010 |
Gotham | ||
1950 | Beer and Pinballs / Fifty-One Beers | 411 |
Specialty | ||
1952 | She Knows Why / She's My Baby | 705 |
1952 | Take It Like a Man / So Close to Me | 708 |
1953 | Got the World by the Tail / Slow Thinking Heart | 711 |
1953 | I Think of You and Me / Now That I Love You | 716 |
Dee-Jay | ||
3.1957 | Run Baby Run / Not Sure ff You | 1248 |
Columbia | ||
6.1961 | Big River, Big Man / Sweet Lovin ' | 4-42043 |
10.1961 | I Can't Get Over The Way You Got Over Me / The Comancheros | 4-42196 |
3.1962 | Wolverton Mountain / Little Bitty Heart | 4-42352 |
9.1962 | The Burning of Atlanta / Don't That Moon Look Lonesome | 4-42581 |
11.1962 | I've Got the World By The Tail / Shopping Center | 4-42630 |
2.1963 | Sheepskin Valley / I Backed Out | 4-42688 |
5.1963 | Building a Bridge / What Will I Do | 4-42782 |
8.1963 | Hey Lucille / Scarlet O'Hara | 4-42833 |
1.1964 | That's What Makes The World Go 'Round / A Lace Mantilla and a Rose of Red | 4-42959 |
7.1964 | Sam Hill / Big Ole Shoulder | 4-43083 |
10.1964 | This Land of Yours And Mine / Whirlpool | 4-43157 |
4.1965 | Tiger Woman / When You Gotta Go | 4-43298 |
10.1965 | Little Buddy / Come on Home | 4-43416 |
1.1966 | Catch a Little Raindrop / Hold That Tiger | 4-43510 |
6.1966 | The Juggler / I Won't Be Long in Your Town | 4-43714 |
10.1966 | Right Place at The Right Time / Little Things That Ever Girl Should Know | 4-43867 |
3.1967 | The Watchman | That's the way the wind blows | 4-44035 |
8.1967 | Laura (What He's Got I Ain't Got) / Goodbye My Love | 4-44237 |
12.1967 | Yellow Haired Woman / Ninety Nine Years | 4-44340 |
4.1968 | Parchman Farm Blues / Birmingham Bus Station | 4-44504 |
9.1968 | The Power of Your Sweet Love / Beertops and Teardrops | 4-44642 |
12.1968 | Sweet Love on My Mind / Four Roses | 4-44749 |
4.1969 | I Remember Johnny / All for the Love of a Girl | 4-44833 |
10.1969 | Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife / The House of the Rising Sun | 4-45015 |
3.1970 | I'll Be Your Baby Tonight / It's Good to Have My Baby | 4-45142 |
9.1970 | Mary's Vineyard / Johnny Valentine | 4-45248 |
3.1971 | Chip 'N' Dale's Place / Highway Lonely | 4-45340 |
8.1971 | When You're Twenty-One / Heart | 4-45441 |
11.1971 | Darlin 'Raise the Shade / Sweet Mary Ann | 4-45515 |
5.1972 | The Lady Of Our Town / Just As Soon As I Get Over Loving You | 4-45614 |
9.1972 | He Ain't Country / This Time I'm Through | 4-45704 |
Chart placements
Albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Country | |||
1969 | I remember Johnny Horton |
Country24 (10 weeks) Country |
|
1971 | Chip 'N' Dale's Place |
Country45 (2 weeks) Country |
More albums
- 1965: Tiger Woman
- 1968: The Best of Claude King
- 1970: Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | Country | |||
1961 | Big River, Big Man Meet Claude King |
US82 (5 weeks) US |
Country7 (16 weeks) Country |
|
The Comancheros Meet Claude King |
US71 (7 weeks) US |
Country7 (15 weeks) Country |
||
1962 | Wolverton Mountain Meet Claude King |
US6 (16 weeks) US |
Country1 (26 weeks) Country |
|
The Burning of Atlanta |
US53 (6 weeks) US |
Country10 (7 weeks) Country |
||
1963 | I've Got the World by the Tail |
- |
Country11 (9 weeks) Country |
|
Sheepskin Valley |
- |
Country12 (9 weeks) Country |
||
Building a Bridge |
- |
Country12 (5 weeks) Country |
||
Hey Lucille! |
- |
Country13 (5 weeks) Country |
||
1964 | That's What Makes the World Go Around |
- |
Country33 (7 weeks) Country |
|
Sam Hill |
- |
Country11 (18 weeks) Country |
||
1965 | Whirlpool (Of Your Love) |
- |
Country47 (3 weeks) Country |
|
Tiger Woman Tiger Woman |
- |
Country6 (18 weeks) Country |
||
1966 | Little Buddy Tiger Woman |
- |
Country17 (11 weeks) Country |
|
Catch a Little Raindrop Tiger Woman |
- |
Country13 (15 weeks) Country |
||
Little Things That Every Girl Should Know |
- |
Country50 (12 weeks) Country |
||
1967 | The Watchman |
- |
Country32 (10 weeks) Country |
|
Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got) |
- |
Country50 (10 weeks) Country |
||
Yellow Haired Woman |
- |
Country59 (2 weeks) Country |
||
1968 | Parchman Farm Blues |
- |
Country67 (3 weeks) Country |
|
The Power of Your Sweet Love |
- |
Country48 (6 weeks) Country |
||
1969 | Sweet Love On My Mind |
- |
Country52 (7 weeks) Country |
|
All for the love of a girl |
- |
Country9 (15 weeks) Country |
||
Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife |
- |
Country18 (10 weeks) Country |
||
1970 | I'll Be Your Baby Tonight Chip 'N' Dale's Place |
- |
Country33 (10 weeks) Country |
|
Mary's Vineyard Chip 'N' Dale's Place |
- |
Country17 (15 weeks) Country |
||
1971 | Chip 'N' Dale's Place Chip 'N' Dale's Place |
- |
Country23 (13 weeks) Country |
|
When You're Twenty-One |
- |
Country54 (5 weeks) Country |
||
1972 | Darlin 'Raise the Shade (Let the Sun Shine In) |
- |
Country57 (6 weeks) Country |
|
He ain't country |
- |
Country48 (8 weeks) Country |
||
1977 | Cotton Dan |
- |
Country94 (3 weeks) Country |
swell
Web links
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | King, Claude |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | February 5, 1923 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Shreveport , Louisiana , United States |
DATE OF DEATH | March 7, 2013 |
Place of death | Shreveport , Louisiana , United States |