Ricky Van Shelton
Ricky Van Shelton (born January 12, 1952 in Grit , Virginia ) is an American country singer who had a total of 13 number hits in the country charts between 1987 and 1992.
Childhood and youth
Ricky grew up in rural Virginia. While his father was playing in a gospel quartet, he was mainly interested in British pop. His older brother played in a country band. He persuaded Ricky to join as a singer and so he switched to country music at the age of 14.
After finishing school, he kept himself afloat with odd jobs. In the evenings he played in the local club scene. His girlfriend and future wife, Bettye, got a job in Nashville , and he joined without hesitation. In Music City, he concentrated exclusively on his musical activities. One day he met the specialist journalist Jerry Thomson, whose wife was a colleague of Bettye's. Thomson, who would later become his manager, gave him contacts in the record industry. In 1986 he signed a contract with Columbia Records .
Career
His first single, Wild Eyed Dream from the album of the same name, made it into the top 10. Only a year later he had his first number 1 hit with Somebody Lied . In 1988, Life Turned Her That Way was the next top spot in the country charts. The musical spectrum of the baritone ranged from soft ballads to country rock, and in the early 1990s he joined the new traditionalist boom .
In 1988 he received the CMA Horizon Award for best young musician. A large number of other awards followed. In the same year he appeared for the first time in the Grand Ole Opry . He was also extremely successful with his albums. His gospel album Don't Overlook Salvation , released in 1992, also sold well. He used some songs he had written himself and often resorted to classics.
In the early 1990s, Van Shelton wrote several children's books, which he distributed through his own publishing house. The sales of his records decreased from 1993 more and more, and he lost his Columbia contract. At the time, he was experiencing massive alcohol problems. In 1997 he made a comeback with the self-financed album Making Plans . The content of his songs became more religious and he received several awards from Christian institutions.
In May 2006 Van Shelton announced the end of his touring life. He wants to look after his family more in the future. Since then he has not appeared with new publications. Van Shelton withdrew completely from the public and only gave an interview again in 2016 for the regional newspaper "The Jefferson Post", which appears in West Jefferson, North Carolina.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1987 | Wild-Eyed Dream |
US76  (41 weeks)US |
Country1 (201 weeks) Country |
|
| 1988 | Loving proof |
US78 (24 weeks)US |
Country1 (130 weeks) Country |
|
| 1989 | Ricky Van Shelton Sings Christmas |
US-  |
Country32 (11 weeks) Country |
Christmas album
|
| 1990 | RVS III |
US53 (61 weeks)US |
Country1 (116 weeks) Country |
|
| 1991 | Backroads |
US23 (57 weeks)US |
Country3 (66 weeks) Country |
|
| 1992 | Don't Overlook Salvation |
US122 (24 weeks)US |
- | |
| 1993 | A Bridge I Didn't Burn |
US91 (8 weeks)US |
Country17 (17 weeks) Country |
|
| 1994 | Love and Honor | - |
Country62 (3 weeks) Country |
|
| 2000 | Blue Christmas | - |
Country58 (2 weeks) Country |
|
More albums
- 1998: Making Plans
- 2000: Fried Green Tomatoes
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1992 | Greatest Hits Plus |
US50 (31 weeks)US |
Country9 (48 weeks) Country |
|
| 1995 | Great hits |
US- |
Country64 (4 weeks) Country |
|
More compilations
- 1996: Super Hits Vol. 2
- 1999: 16 biggest hits
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Country
|
|||
| 1986 | Wild-Eyed Dream Wild-Eyed Dream |
Country24 (18 weeks) Country |
|
| 1987 | Crime of Passion Wild-Eyed Dream |
Country7 (19 weeks) Country |
|
| Somebody song Wild-Eyed Dream |
Country1 (25 weeks) Country |
||
| Life Turned Her That Way Wild-Eyed Dream |
Country1 (23 weeks) Country |
||
| 1988 | Don't We All Have the Right Wild-Eyed Dream |
Country1 (20 weeks) Country |
|
| I'll Leave This World Loving You Loving Proof |
Country1 (21 weeks) Country |
||
| From a Jack to a King Loving Proof |
Country1 (16 weeks) Country |
||
| 1989 | Get in My Pocket Loving Proof |
Country4 (16 weeks) Country |
|
| Living Proof Loving Proof |
Country1 (22 weeks) Country |
||
| Statue of a Fool RVS III |
Country2 (26 weeks) Country |
||
| 1990 | I've Cried My Last Tear for You RVS III |
Country1 (25 weeks) Country |
|
| I Meant Every Word He Said RVS III |
Country2 (21 weeks) Country |
||
| Life's Little Ups and Downs RVS III |
Country4 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| 1991 | I am a Simple Man Backroads |
Country1 (20 weeks) Country |
|
| Keep It Between the Lines Backroads |
Country1 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| After the Lights Go Out Backroads |
Country13 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| 1992 | Backroads Backroads |
Country2 (20 weeks) Country |
|
| Wear My Ring Around Your Neck Honeymoon in Vegas OST |
Country26 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| Wild Man Greatest Hits Plus |
Country5 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| 1993 | Just as I Am Greatest Hits Plus |
Country26 (20 weeks) Country |
|
| A Couple of Good Years Left A Bridge I Didn't Burn |
Country44 (12 weeks) Country |
||
| 1994 | Where Was I A Bridge I Didn't Burn |
Country20 (20 weeks) Country |
|
| Wherever She Is Love and Honor |
Country49 (10 weeks) Country |
||
| 1995 | Lola's Love Love and Honor |
Country62 (5 weeks) Country |
|
| 2000 | The Decision Fried Green Tomatoes |
Country71 (1 week) Country |
More singles
- 1999: The Best Is Yet to Come
- 2000: Call Me Crazy
Guest Posts
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Country
|
|||
| 1991 | Rockin 'Years Eagle When She Flies |
Country1 (20 weeks) Country |
with Dolly Parton
|
Video albums
- 1990: To be Continued (US:gold)
swell
- ↑ http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=44
- ↑ https://www.gene-watson.com/index.php/peers/peers-2017/ricky-van-shelton.html
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: US
- ↑ a b Awards for Music Sales: US
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Van Shelton, Ricky |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 12, 1952 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Grit , Virginia |