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.
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
- ↑ Erlewine, Michael u. a .: All Music Guide To Country Music. San Francisco, Cal. : Miller Fremann Books, 1997, p. 198
- ↑ George Hamilton IV Suffers Heart Attack , rollingstone.com , September 16, 2014
- ↑ Opry star George Hamilton IV dead at 77
- ^ 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
- Literature by and about George Hamilton IV. In the catalog of the German National Library
- Official Homepage (English)
- William Yardley: George Hamilton IV, 77, country singer. Obituary in The New York Times, September 18, 2014
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 |