Jimmy C. Newman

Jimmy C. Newman (2009)

Jimmy C. Newman (born Jimmy Yves Newman on August 27, 1927 in High Point , Louisiana , † June 21, 2014 in Nashville , Tennessee ) was an American country singer who was best known for his Cajun songs .

biography

Beginnings

Newman was born in 1927 near the town of Big Mamou , Louisiana, in the southern United States . As a child he was more of a fan of stars like Gene Autry than of Cajun music , which is very popular in the area he grew up in. Still, he had a few Cajun songs in his repertoire that he played as a teenager with his first band, the Chuck Guillorry's Rhythm Boys. With this and other bands he toured the south and southwest of the USA until, after some not very successful recordings, he finally ended up with Fred Rose in the 1940s , who supported the young musician. Newman got his own radio show in Lake Charles , a television show in Shreveport and, in 1953, a record deal with Dot Records.

Career

In 1954, Newman recorded the song he co-wrote Cry, Cry Darling , which made it to number 4 on the country charts, leading to membership of the famous Louisiana Hayride radio show . Newman's next four records, including Daydreamin ' and Blue Darlin , hit the top 10 of the charts, and in 1956 he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry .

In 1957 Newman had his biggest hit, A Fallen Star , which made it to number 2 on the country and top 25 pop charts. In 1958 he switched to MGM Records. In November of the same year he had another top 10 hit with You're Makin 'a Fool Out of Me , and in July 1959, after several other equally successful titles, Grin and Bear It was also in the top 10. Newman's successes in the early 1960s were A Lovely Work of Art at # 6 and Wanting You to Be With Me at # 11. In 1961, Newman changed record labels again and went to Decca .

Back to the Cajun

As an established artist, Newman began again to devote himself to Cajun music. He founded a new band and was able to place himself in the top 25 immediately with the first singles Alligator Man and Bayou Talk in Cajun style. His 1963 album Folk Songs of the Bayou Country , which featured well-known musicians such as accordionist Shorty LeBlanc and fiddler Rufus Thibodeaux , contributed to the popularity of Cajun music.

For some time, Newman turned back mainly to the Nashville sound and also had success in 1963 with the top 10 hit The DJ Cried and in 1965 and 1966 with Artificial Rose and Back Pocket Money . Newman's last success in the country charts was in 1970 with the song I'm Holding Your Memory (But He's Holding You) .

When the success waned, Newman returned to Cajun music and recorded records for labels such as La Louisianne, Swallow and Rounder. In 1976 he was the only artist to receive a gold record for a song that was mostly recorded in Cajun French : Lache Pas La Patate . With the Cajun music, Newman celebrated worldwide success, for example in 1980 at the Wembley Country Music Festival in London.

Newman lived with his wife Mae on the Singing Hills Ranch in Murfreesboro , near Nashville. He recently toured with songs like Jambalaya , Jolie Blon and Diggy Liggy Lo and continued to perform in the Grand Ole Opry. Newman died of cancer in Nashville in June 2014 at the age of 86.

Awards

In 1991, Newman and his band Cajun Country received a Grammy nomination for the album Alligator Man . In 1992 he was awarded a special prize by the Cajun French Music Association of South Louisiana for his contribution to the worldwide dissemination of Cajun music. In 2000, Newman was inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the North American Country Music Association and in 2004 into the Cajun Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Cajun Music Hall of Fame in Lafayette , Louisiana.

Web links

• Literature by and about Jimmy C. Newman in the catalog of the German National Library
• Jimmy C. Newman at Discogs (English)
• Newman at CMT
• Newman in the Opry

Individual evidence

1. ^ Obituary in Rolling Stone