Leroy Van Dyke
Leroy Frank Van Dyke (born October 4, 1929 in Spring Fork , Missouri ) is an American country singer and songwriter who became known from the late 1950s with hits like Auctioneer and Walk on By .
Beginnings
Van Dyke originally wanted to be a farmer . He began playing guitar while studying agriculture at the University of Missouri . During these years his passion for country music developed. After completing his studies in animal husbandry and journalism , he first worked as an editor for agricultural issues at a newspaper and briefly as a cattle auctioneer .
In 1951 he was drafted into the army and spent a year in Korea . Here he had several opportunities for musical performances. He also wrote the song Auctioneer , which incorporated his own experiences and which enabled him to enter the country scene a little later.
Career
Winning a talent competition led to a record deal in 1956. His first single with the song Auctioneer sold more than 2.5 million copies and made it into the country top ten as well as the pop top 20 . However, he was betrayed by his manager, who unjustifiably pretended to be a co-author and collected half of the royalties . The initial success could not be repeated at first, the subsequent singles flopped without exception. From 1957 he appeared regularly on the television show Ozark Jubilee .
In 1961 Van Dyke moved to Nashville and switched to the Mercury label. In the same year he succeeded in a super hit with the Walk on By produced by Shelby Singleton , which stayed at the top of the country charts for 19 weeks in a row and advanced to number five in the pop hit parade. Walk on By, Wait on the Corner , which is about a "forbidden love", in which man and woman cannot show themselves together in public, was one of the greatest country hits of the 1960s. A perfect arrangement and the participation of top studio musicians also contributed to the success.
In 1962 Van Dyke became a member of the Grand Ole Opry . In the same year he made it to number three on the country charts with If a Woman Answers (Hang Up the Phone) . After that, there were no successes. Even changing the label several times did not bring any improvement, although it remained in business until the 1980s. In 1967 he worked in the feature film What Am I Bid? with, in which he represented an auctioneer.
Discography
Albums
year | title | Label | |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | Walk On By | Mercury | |
1963 | Movin 'Van Dyke | Mercury | |
1963 | Leroy Van Dyke's Greatest Hits | Mercury | |
1964 | Songs for Mom & Dad | Mercury | |
1964 | Leroy Van Dyke at the Trade Winds | Mercury | |
1965 | The Leroy Van Dyke Show | Warner Brothers | |
1965 | Out of love | Mercury | |
1966 | Country hits | Warner Brothers | |
1968 | Lonesome Is | Cap | |
1969 | I've never been loved | Harmony | |
1969 | Just a Closer Walk with Thee | Cap | |
1972 | Greatest Hits-Leroy Van Dyke | Decca | |
1977 | Gospel greats | Plant | |
1979 | Rock Relics | Plant |
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | UK | US | Country | |||
1956 | The auctioneer |
- | - |
US29 (15 weeks) US |
Country9 (1 week) Country |
|
1961 | Walk On By Walk On By |
DE14 (16 weeks) DE |
UK5 (17 weeks) UK |
US5 (16 weeks) US |
Country1 (37 weeks) Country |
|
1962 | If a Woman Answers (Hang Up the Phone) Movin 'Van Dyke |
- | - |
US35 (7 weeks) US |
Country3 (12 weeks) Country |
|
Big Man In a Big House |
- |
UK34 (3 weeks) UK |
- | - | ||
Black Cloud The Great Hits |
- | - | - |
Country16 (7 weeks) Country |
||
1964 | Happy to be unhappy |
- | - | - |
Country50 (1 week) Country |
|
Night people |
- | - | - |
Country45 (3 weeks) Country |
||
1965 | Anne of a Thousand Days |
- | - | - |
Country40 (5 weeks) Country |
|
1966 | Roses from a Stranger I've Never Been Loved Before |
- | - | - |
Country34 (8 weeks) Country |
|
1967 | I've Never Been Loved Before I've Never Been Loved Before |
- | - | - |
Country66 (4 weeks) Country |
|
1968 | Louisville I've Never Been Loved Before |
- | - | - |
Country23 (11 weeks) Country |
|
You May Be Too Much for Memphis, Baby Lonesome Is |
- | - | - |
Country69 (5 weeks) Country |
||
1969 | Crack in My World |
- | - | - |
Country56 (4 weeks) Country |
|
1970 | An Old Love Affair, Now Showing |
- | - | - |
Country63 (7 weeks) Country |
|
Mister Professor |
- | - | - |
Country71 (2 weeks) Country |
||
1971 | I Get Lonely When It Rains |
- | - | - |
Country62 (5 weeks) Country |
|
1972 | I'd Rather Be Wantin 'Love |
- | - | - |
Country69 (6 weeks) Country |
|
1975 | Unfaithful fools |
- | - | - |
Country79 (6 weeks) Country |
|
1976 | Who's Gonna Run the Truck Stop in Tuba City When I'm Gone? |
- | - | - |
Country75 (7 weeks) Country |
|
1977 | Texas Tea |
- | - | - |
Country77 (6 weeks) Country |
More singles
- 1966: You Couldn't Get My Love Back (If You Tried)
swell
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. P. 87
- ↑ Chart sources: DE UK US US before 1958
Web links
- Literature by and about Leroy Van Dyke in the catalog of the German National Library
- Leroy Van Dyke in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- leroyvandyke.com - Van Dyke's website
- Leroy Van Dyke at Music VF
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Van Dyke, Leroy |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Van Dyke, Leroy Frank (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer and songwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 4, 1929 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Spring Fork , Missouri , United States |