Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Husky (* 3. December 1925 in Flat River , Missouri ; † 17th March 2011 Westmoreland , Tennessee ) was an American country - singer .
Life
Beginnings
Born in rural Missouri, Ferlin Husky began his musical career as a disc jockey in Bakersfield, California . Under the name Terry Preston - his maiden name seemed unsuitable for a serious country singer - he performed every night in the local club scene. As a bass player, he occasionally took part in recordings and concerts by established musicians. From 1949 to 1951, eleven unsuccessful singles were recorded on the small Four Star label.
Career
The manager of Tennessee Ernie Ford became aware of him and brokered a record deal with the famous Capitol label in 1951, where seven singles were released from 1951 to 1953 under the name Terry Preston . Under his real name Ferlin Husky, the first singles Hank's Song was published in 1953 , at the same time he continued to produce songs at Capitol as Terry Preston until mid-1954 .
After initial failures, he achieved a number 1 hit in the country charts in 1953 in a duet with Jean Shepard with A Dear John Letter , and the title reached number 16 in the US pop charts from spoken word. It is the story of a US soldier shortly after the Korean War who received a letter from his lover, in which she informed him that the relationship was over and that she would marry his brother. After the success of the single, another top 10 hit was produced with the answer song Forgive Me John .
But it took another four years before Husky made his breakthrough as a soloist. His Gone held the top spot on the country charts for a remarkable ten weeks and entered the pop charts as a crossover to number 4. A similar success came in 1960 with Wings Of A Dove (Country Charts No. 1, US Singles Charts No. 12).
Under the alias Simon Crum , he started a third career as a musical comedian in the mid-1950s. Here, too, he was successful, even if the sales figures for a Ferlin Husky could not be achieved. His first song as Simon Crum was Cuzz You're So Sweet , released in March 1955 . Simon Crum's most successful single was Country Music Is Here To Stay , the record was released in October 1958 and reached number two on the country charts.
Husky's popularity has steadily declined since the early 1960s. In 1962 he was placed on the US Billboard 100 for the last time with the single The Waltz You Saved For Me . He was rarely represented in the upper parts of the country charts. His biggest hits during this period were Once (Country Charts No. 4) in 1966 and Just For You (Country Charts No. 4) in 1968 . He has appeared in various films and television shows. In 1972 he moved to ABC Records . Health problems forced him to take longer breaks several times.
Discography
Albums
Selection criterion: All albums released in the USA from 1955 to 1975. Order of the information: year of publication, album title, label, catalog number, # = placement in the country LP charts. <?> = no US catalog number found yet
- 1955: Ferlin Husky & Jean Shepard <?>
- 1956: Songs Of The Home & Heart - Capitol T-718
- 1957: Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Capitol T-880
- 1958: Country Music Holiday <?>
- 1959: Sittin 'On A Rainbow - Capitol T-976
- 1959: Born To Lose - Capitol T-1204
- 1959: Ferlin's Favorites - Capitol T-1280
- 1960: Easy Livin ' <?>
- 1960: Gone - Capitol ST-1546
- 1961: Walkin '& Hummin' - Capitol ST-1633
- 1961: Memories Of Home - Capitol ST-1633
- 1962: Some Of My Favorites - Capitol ST-1720
- 1963: The Unpredictable Simon Crum - Capitol DT-1880
- 1963: The Heart And Soul - Capitol ST-1885
- 1963: The Hits - Capitol DT-1991
- 1964: By Request - Capitol ST-2101 - # 20
- 1965: True, True Lovin ' - Capitol ST2305
- 1965: Ferlin Husky Sings Ole Opry Favorites
- 1965: Songs Of Music City - Capitol ST-2438 - # 20
- 1966: I Could Sing All Night - Capitol ST-2548 - # 18
- 1967: What Am I Gonna Do Now? - Capitol ST-2705 - # 22
- 1967: Christmas All Year Long - Capitol ST-2793
- 1968: Just For You - Capitol ST-2870 - # 19
- 1968: Where No One Stands Alone - Capitol ST-2913
- 1968: White Fences And Evergreen Trees - Capitol ST-115 - # 44
- 1968: The Best - Capitol SKAO-143 - # 42
- 1969: That's Why I Love You So Much - Capitol ST-239 - # 24
- 1970: Your Love Is Heavenly Sunshine - Capitol ST-443 - # 25
- 1970: Green Green Grass Of Home - Hilltop JS-6080
- 1970: Your Sweet Love Lifted Me - Capitol ST-591 - # 31
- 1971: One More Time - Capitol ST-768 - # 35
- 1971: Wings Of A Dove (sampler with older recordings) - Hilltop JS-6099
- 1972: Just Plain Lonely - Capitol ST-11069 - # 39
- 1973: True, True Lovin ' - ABC 776
- 1973: Sweet Honky-Tonk - ABC 803
- 1974: Freckles And Polliwog Days - ABC 818
- 1974: Champagne Ladies And Blue Ribbon Babies - ABC ???
- 1974: Mountain Of Everlasting Love <?>
- 1975: The Foster And Rice Songbook - ABC 849 - # 39
Singles discography (selection)
Selection criterion: All singles that made it into the top 20 of the country charts.
year | title | Order no. | published | Country Charts | US charts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | A Dear John Letter / I'd Rather Die Young ( with Jean Shepard ) | Capitol 2502 | June 1953 | 1 | 16 |
1953 | Forgive Me John / My Wedding Ring ( with Jean Shepard ) | Capitol 2586 | September 1953 | 4th | |
1954 | If Feel Better All Over / Little Tom | Capitol 3001 | December 1954 | 6th | |
1957 | Gone / Missing Persons | Capitol 3628 | January 1957 | 1 | 4th |
1957 | Fall Star / Prize Possession | Capitol 3742 | August 1957 | 8th | 47 |
1958 | Country Music Is Here To Stay / Stand Up Sit Down Shut Your Mouth ( under the name Simon Crum ) | Capitol 4073 | October 1958 | 2 | |
1959 | My Reason For Livin '/ Wrong | Capitol 4123 | January 1959 | 14th | |
1959 | Draggin 'The River / Sea Sand | Capitol 4186 | April 1959 | 11 | |
1960 | Wings Of A Dove / Next To Jimmy | Capitol 4406 | July 1960 | 1 | 12 |
1961 | Waltz You Saved For Me / Out Of A Clear Blue Sky | Capitol 4650 | December 1961 | 13 | 94 |
1966 | Once / Why Do I Put Up With You | Capitol 5775 | October 1966 | 4th | |
1967 | Just For You / Don't Hurt Me Anymore | Capitol 2048 | December 1967 | 4th | |
1970 | Heavenly Sunshine / All Her Little Loving Ways | Capitol 2793 | March 1970 | 11 |
literature
- Stambler, Irwin / Landon, Grelun: Encyclopedia Of Folk, Country And Western Music . New York / London: St. Martin's Press, 1969, pp. 146f
- Shestack, Melvin: The Country Music Encyclopaedia . London: Omnibus Press, 1977, p. 108f
- Dellar, Fred / Thompson, Roy: The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Country Music . Foreword by Roy Acuff. 2nd edition London: Salamander Books, 1979, pp. 120f
Web links
- biography
- Ferlin Husky at Allmusic (English)
Remarks
- ^ The Tennessean, March 17, 2011, Country Music Hall of Famer Ferlin Husky dies at 85
- ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Records 1940-1955 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 1973, p. 42
- ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., 1994, p. 286
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Husky, Ferlin |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 3, 1925 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Flat River , Missouri |
DATE OF DEATH | March 17, 2011 |