George Hamilton IV.

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George Hamilton IV.

George Hamilton IV (born July 19, 1937 in Winston-Salem , North Carolina , † September 17, 2014 in Nashville , Tennessee ) was an American country singer.

biography

Beginnings

As a child, George Hamilton IV was enthusiastic about western films in which singing cowboys such as Gene Autry or Tex Ritter appeared. He became a fan of Hank Williams , to whose appearances in the Grand Ole Opry he traveled several times. As a student he played in a high school band. A demo tape fell into the hands of talent scout Orville Campbell, who introduced him to aspiring songwriter John D. Loudermilk .

Career

Hamilton recorded the song A Rose And A Baby Ruth for a local label . The sentimental piece was taken over by the ABC label in 1956 and achieved a high position in the pop charts with more than a million records sold. This was followed by tours with the Everly Brothers , Gene Vincent and Buddy Holly and television appearances, including on the show by Jimmy Dean . For a short time he even had his own TV show.

He achieved a few more successes in the pop scene, including the top 10 hit Why Don't They Understand . The sales figures soon dropped noticeably. Considering himself a country singer, Hamilton eventually tried to shed his pop image and moved to Nashville in 1959 . With Before This Day Ends he reached number 4 on the country charts a year later. A little later he was signed by Chet Atkins for RCA Victor. After further top 10 placements, he succeeded in 1963 with the song Abilene , which was written by Bob Gibson and John D. Loudermilk, a number 1 hit.

In the mid-1960s he turned increasingly to folk music . With the song by Gordon Lightfoot Early Morning Rain he achieved a top 10 success in 1966, with the Lightfoot song Steel Rail Blues he reached number 15 on the country charts in the same year. In the next few years he played numerous other songs by the Canadian. Hamilton joined the Canadian scene more and more and eventually switched to RCA Canada. In 1968 he released one of his most famous songs, Canadian Pacific .

During these years he began a long series of international tours that eventually earned him the nickname “International Ambassador for Country Music”. George Hamilton IV was also one of the first country singers to appear in Russia and he also enjoyed success in Czechoslovakia .

Then the hit parade successes became rarer. In 1970 he reached number 3 on the country charts with She's A Little Bit Country . From the end of the 1970s, religious Hamilton oriented itself towards gospel music. He sang a few times at events organized by the well-known preacher Billy Graham . In 1988 he released a single with his son George Hamilton V, whom he also accompanied on tours. From 1993 to 1998 he took part in the musical Patsy Cline - Music And Memories .

Hamilton IV. Had been married since 1958 and remained connected to the music scene. In 2000 he celebrated the 40th anniversary of his first appearance in the Grand Ole Opry.

George Hamilton IV died on September 17, 2014 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, where he had been admitted the week before after a heart attack.

Discography

Albums

  • 1958 - George Hamilton IV On Campus
  • 1958 - Sing Me A Sad Song
  • 1961 - To You & Yours (From Me & Mine)
  • 1963 - George Hamilton IV Big 15
  • 1963 - Abilene
  • 1964 - Fort Worth, Dallas Or Houston
  • 1965 - Mister Sincerity ..... A Tribute To Ernest Tubb
  • 1966 - Coast-Country
  • 1966 - Steel Rail Blues
  • 1967 - Folk Country Classics
  • 1967 - Folksy
  • 1968 - In The 4th Dimension
  • 1969 - Canadian Pacific
  • 1970 - Back Where It's At
  • 1970 - Your Cheatin 'Heart
  • 1971 - Early Morning Rain
  • 1971 - North Country
  • 1971 - West Texas Highway
  • 1972 Country Music In My Soul
  • 1972 - Travellin 'Light
  • 1973 - International Ambassador Of Country Music
  • 1974 - Bluegrass Gospel
  • 1975 - Back Home At The Opry
  • 1977 - Fine Lace And Homespun Cloth
  • 1977 - Feel Like A Million
  • 1979 - Forever Young
  • 1982 - One Day At A Time
  • 1984 - Music Man's Dream
  • 1995 - Canadian Country Gold & Unmined Treasures

Singles (selection)

Selection criterion: All singles that made it into the Top 20 of the Country Charts and the Top 100 of the Billboard Charts.

Singles with Colonial Records 1956, ABC-Paramount 1956–1960 and RCA Victor 1961–1976
year title Order no. published Country Charts US charts
1956 Rose And A Baby Ruth / If You Don't Know Colonial CR-420 July 1956 6th
1956 Rose And A Baby Ruth / If You Don't Know ABC 9765 October 1956 6th
1957 Only One Love / If I Possessed A Printing Press ABC 9782 January 1957 33
1957 High School Romance / Everybody's Body ABC 9838 June 1957 80
1957 Why Don't They Understand / Even Tho ' ABC 9862 October 1957 10
1958 Now And For Always / One Heart ABC 9898 February 1958 25th
1958 I Know Where I'm Goin '/ Who's Taken You To The Prom ABC 9924 April 1958 43
1958 When Will I Know / Your Cheatin 'Heart ABC 9946 August 1958 65
1958 Teen Commandments (with Paul Anka and Johnny Nash) / If You Learn To Pray (by Paul Anka) ABC 9974 November 1958 29
1959 Gee / I know your sweetheart ABC 10028 June 1959 73
1960 Before This Day Ends / Loneliness All Around Me ABC 10125 July 1960 4th
1961 Three Steps To The Phone (Millions Of Miles) / Ballad Of Widder Jones RCA Victor 7881 May 1961 9
1961 To You And Yours (From Me And Mine) / I Want A Girl RCA Victor 7934 October 1961 13
1963 Abilene / Oh So Many Years RCA Victor 8181 May 1963 1 15th
1964 Fort Worth, Dallas Or Houston / Life's Railway To Heaven RCA Victor 8392 July 1964 9
1964 Truck Drivin 'Man / Little Grave RCA Victor 8462 November 1964 11
1965 Walking The Floor Over You / Driftwood On The River RCA Victor 8608 June 1965 18th
1965 Write Me A Picture / Twist Of The Wrist RCA Victor 8690 October 1965 16
1966 Steel Rail Blues / Tobacco RCA Victor 8797 March 1966 15th
1966 Early Morning Rain / Slightly Used RCA Victor 8924 August 1966 9
1967 Urge For Going / Changes RCA Victor 9059 January 1967 7th
1967 Break My Mind / Something Special To Me RCA Victor 9239 June 1967 6th
1970 She's A Little Bit Country / My Nova Scotia Home RCA Victor 9829 March 1970 3
1971 Anyway / Best I Can Do RCA Victor 9945 January 1971 13

Remarks

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Michael u. a .: All Music Guide To Country Music. San Francisco, Cal. : Miller Fremann Books, 1997, p. 198
  2. ↑ George Hamilton IV Suffers Heart Attack , rollingstone.com , September 16, 2014
  3. ↑ Opry star George Hamilton IV dead at 77
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., 1994, pp. 260f; for positions in the country charts, see Whitburn, Joel: The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. 1944-2006 . 2nd Edition. New York: Billboard Books, 2006, pp. 150f

literature

  • Stambler, Irwin / Landon, Grelun: Encyclopedia Of Folk, Country And Western Music. New York / London: St. Martin's Press, 1969, p. 123f
  • Shestack, Melvin: The Country Music Encyclopaedia. London: Omnibus Press, 1977, p. 99f
  • Dellar, Fred / Thompson, Roy: The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Country Music. Foreword by Roy Acuff. 2nd edition London: Salamander Books, 1979, p. 107
  • Fuchs, Walter: History of Country Music. Centers, styles, resumes. Bergisch Gladbach: Gustav Lübbe Verlag , 1980, p. 269
  • Laufenberg, Frank / Hake, Ingrid: Rock and Pop Lexicon. Vol. 1: ABBA - Kay Kyser. Düsseldorf / Vienna: Econ Verlag , 1994, p. 645
  • Erlewein, Michael u. a. (Ed.): All Music Guide To Country Music. San Francisco, CAL: Miller Freeman Books, 1997, pp. 197f

Web links

Commons : George Hamilton IV  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Hamilton, George IV.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country singer
DATE OF BIRTH July 19, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Winston-Salem , North Carolina , United States
DATE OF DEATH 17th September 2014
Place of death Nashville , Tennessee , United States