Jimmy Swan

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Jimmy Swan (born November 18, 1912 in Sand Mountain , Alabama , † October 29, 1994 ; actually James Edgar Schwann ) was an American country musician .

Life

Childhood and youth

Born in Sand Mountain, Jimmy Swan and his family moved to Birmingham when Swan was 10 years old after his father had died. Swan made some extra money by working as a shoe shine and newspaper deliverer. His idol at the time was the country musician Jimmie Rodgers . In 1928 Swan won a talent competition hosted by the WKBC radio station. His mother died when he was 17. In the same year he got married and now moved to Hattiesburg with his wife .

Career

After Swan was declared unfit for the army , he continued to live with his wife and child. Swan also formed a band in which two later country stars were members, namely Hank Williams and Hank Locklin . With his band Swan made his first appearances on the radio station WALA and in bars. Bored of performing in the rough honky tonks , he took a job as a disk jockey in the late 1940s. He was to pursue this profession until 1991. In 1949 Swan worked for some time at WTOK in Meridian , Mississippi . In 1952 he had the opportunity to record his first records with Trumpet Records . One of his first appearances there was a song dedicated to his friend Hank Williams. It was written by MGM manager Frank Walker and was called The Last Letter . In 1954, Swan starred in the B-Western Jesse James' Women .

Swan's radio and television career began to flourish in the early and mid-1950s. He was now represented on various television channels with his own shows and often performed live on the radio. He also recorded transcriptions for the radio. The success of his track I Had a Dream built in large part on Swan's popularity on the radio. He also worked as a songwriter. The Way That You're Living has been covered by Jimmy C. Newman and Ernest Tubb , among others .

In 1955 Swan moved to MGM Records , where he held a total of two sessions. Country Cattin ' emerged from these sessions . In 1956 he worked meanwhile at the radio station WBKH as a presenter. Later in his career, Swan recorded for Decca Records , JB Records and Big Howdy Records .

In 1967 Swan got into politics. He ran as a candidate for the governor of the US state of Mississippi, but lost. In 1971 Swan ran again, but lost again to his Republican opponents. An incident occurred during this election campaign: after an event, Swan left with his chauffeur, Pat Massengill. However, an oncoming motorist began to shoot; Swan narrowly escaped death as he lay in the back of the car to sleep.

In the decades that followed, Swan focused on his radio career and gave few concerts. After his first wife died, he remarried and lived in Hattiesburg and Jackson , Mississippi.

In 1993 the Bear Family Records released a CD with his collected works.

Discography

year title Record company
1952 Juke Joint Mama / I Had a Dream Trumpet Records
1952 Triflin 'on Me / I Love You Too Much Trumpet Records
1953 The Last Letter / The Little Church MGM Records
1953 Losers Weepers / Mark of Shame Trumpet Records
1954 Lonesome Daddy Blues / One More Time Trumpet Records
1955 Frost on My Roof / It's Your Turn to Cry MGM Records
1956 Hey, Baby Baby / Why Did You Change Your Mind? MGM Records
1956 Country Cattin ' / The Way That You're Living MGM Records
1957 Lonesome Man / Lonesome and Good MGM Records
1960 No One Loves a Broken Heart / Don't Conceal Your Wedding Ring Decca Records
1965 Honky Tonkin '/ I Love You Too Much JB Records
1965 Rattlesnake Daddy / It Takes a Lonesome Man JB Records
1966 Walkin 'My Dog / Asleep in the Deep JB Records
1968 Good and Lonesome / Why Did You Change Your Mind? Big Howdy Records

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Swan, Jimmy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schwann, James Edgar (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country singer
DATE OF BIRTH November 18, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Sand Mountain , Alabama , USA
DATE OF DEATH October 29, 1994