Melba Montgomery
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Melba Montgomery (born October 14, 1938 as Melba Joyce Montgomery in Iron City , Tennessee ) is an American country singer who became known in the 1960s for her duets with George Jones .
Beginnings
Melba Montgomery grew up in rural Tennessee. She began her musical career as a singer in the church choir. In a talent competition in 1958 Roy Acuff became aware of her and offered her a position in his accompanying band. She stayed with the "King of Country Music" for four years. During this time she accompanied him on several international tours and in countless appearances in the Grand Ole Opry . She recorded two singles with the small Nugget label, but they weren't too successful.
Career
In 1962 she separated from Acuff and signed a record deal with the Capitol label. Here she began a successful collaboration with George Jones . In 1963 they recorded their self-composed song We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds with him and reached number three on the country charts. Her solo recordings, Hall Of Shame and The Greatest One of All weren't quite as successful. The following duets with Jones also rarely made it into the top 20.
In 1965, the head of United Artists Records (a subsidiary of the United Artists film studio ), Pappy Daily, founded his own label, Musicor , and took over Jones and Montgomery. First she played an album with the pop singer Gene Pitney , from which the single Baby Ain't That Fine was released, which reached number 15. Then again records with Jones were released.
In 1969 she switched to the Capitol label, where she formed a duo with Charlie Louvin (of the Louvin Brothers ), which stayed together until 1973. Her most successful song was Something To Brag About , which made it into the top 20. Her own productions continued to not sell very well. Only after switching to the Elektra label in 1974 did she achieve her breakthrough as a soloist with the single No Charge, which was released from the album of the same name . The song reached number one on the country charts and was also in the top 40 of the pop hit parade.
However, this success could not be repeated. She returned once more to United Artists and occasionally appeared on stage with George Jones. After that, the big record companies lost interest in her. She released a few albums for smaller labels, but could no longer place herself in the charts. But she continued to perform and composed songs. Long after their great successes, country stars like Sara Evans ( If You Ever Want My Lovin ' , 1997), Terri Clark ( Cure for the Common Heartache , 1998) or Jessica Andrews ( Never Had It So Good , 2001) recorded songs from Montgomery up. Her composition Out Of Control Raging Fire , which was recorded as a duet by Tracy Byrd and Dawn Sears in 1993 and in 2001 by Patty Loveless and Travis Tritt , also achieved widespread popularity .
In 2010 Montgomery released a new album, Things That Keep You Going .
In February 2014 she was a guest star on the Marty Stuart Show on television.
Discography
Albums (selection)
| year | title | Label | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | America's Number One Country & Western Girl Singer | United Artists | |
| 1964 | Blue Grass Hootenanny | United Artists | with George Jones |
| 1964 | A King & Two Queens | United Artists | with George Jones and Judy Lynn |
| 1964 | Down Home | United Artists | |
| 1964 | I Can't Get Used To Being Lonely | United Artists | |
| 1966 | Blue Moon Of Kentucky | United Artists | with George Jones |
| 1966 | Country girl | Musicor | |
| 1966 | Being Together | Musicor | with Gene Pitney |
| 1966 | The Hallelujah Road | Musicor | |
| 1966 | Close Together (As You & Me) | Musicor | with George Jones |
| 1966 | Don't Keep Me Lonely Too Long | Musicor | |
| 1967 | Let's Get Together (Boy Meets Girl) | Musicor | with George Jones |
| 1967 | I'm just living | Musicor | |
| 1968 | Melba toast | Musicor | |
| 1969 | The Big Wonderful Country World Of Melba Montgomery | Capitol | |
| 1971 | Something To Brag About | Capitol | with Charlie Louvin |
| 1971 | Baby, you got what it takes | Capitol | with Charlie Louvin |
| 1973 | Melba Montgomery - No Charge | Elektra | |
| 1974 | No charge | Elektra | |
| 1975 | Don't Let The Good Times Fool You | Elektra | |
| 1975 | The Greatest Gift Of All | Elektra | |
| 1975 | Aching, breaking heart | Capitol | |
| 1978 | Melba Montgomery | United Artists | |
| 1982 | What's In Our Hearts | Liberty |
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Biography on CMT.com
swell
- ↑ Chart sources: US
- ↑ http://www.melbamontgomery.com/songwrting
- ↑ https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/melbamontgomery
- ↑ http://www.martystuart.com/mss-2-1-14.htm
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Montgomery, Melba |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Montgomery, Melba Joyce (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 14, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Iron City , Tennessee |