Charlie Rich !
To be clear, Charlie Rich willfully bended genres, fusing country, jazz, blues, gospel, rockabilly, and soul.
Sounds familiar ? Well, forget what you know 'cos he was the man.
Rich began his professional musical career while he was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in the early '50s. While he was stationed in Oklahoma, he formed a group called the Velvetones (not the same one posted last year), which played jazz and blues.
Sam Phillips (oh, him again ?) rejected the demos Rich recorded, claiming they were too jazzy. After absorbing some Jerry Lee Lewis records a friend gave him, Rich returned to Sun quickly and became a regular session musician for the label in 1958, playing and/or singing on records by Lewis, Johnny Cash, Justis, Warren Smith, Billy Lee Riley, Carl Mann, and Ray Smith.
He was also writing songs, including "Break Up" for Lewis, "The Ways of a Woman in Love" for Cash, and "I'm Comin' Home" for Mann, which was later cut by Presley. Throughout 1959, he recorded a number of songs at Sun, though only a handful were actually released. BUT, to be correct, Sam Phillips (who ?) called him the most talented performer he ever worked with.
Great growling voice that could sing the blues, gospel and twist them into his own sound which I just call MUSIC 'cause, hell, that's what it is.
Charlie Rich - Big Man
Charlie Rich - Midnite Blues
Charlie Rich - Who Will the Next Fool Be
Comments
((Watches progress bar))
((Clicks))
Damn.
O - I haven't heard this one before. There's one with an awfull brash chorus backing him up (to the wall )
This is still great but there's another version somewhere. I gotta find it out ... and buy a record player.
"Washed My Hands In Muddy Water" is a Charlie Rich Favourite, "Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs" another.
Nice piano on Big man.
krlmxfbl(?), hell yeah I love their cover too :)
Cheers !
He sure can sing...
That son of a bitch.
Thanks Rev.
-Scurvy
Thanks Scurvy.
I'll let y'know.
:~)
"SOB" COMMENT. I CONSIDER MYSELF
THE WORLD'S # 1 CHARLIE RICH FAN BUT KNOW THERE ARE MANY OTHERS AS WELL. "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE CALLED HIM THE "RECLUSIVE AND ECLECTIC VIRTUOSO" IN ITS LAST ISSUE OF 1995. THE FACT HE ISN'T IN THE "ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME" IS A DISGRACE - YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD WANT A "REAL MUSICIAN" OF HIS CALIBER AND TALENT. HE IS A MUSICIAN'S MUSICIAN WHO COULD SING ANY GENRE AND WAS AN EXCELLENT JAZZ PIANIST AS WELL. HIS LAST ALBUM IN 1992, "PICTURES AND PAINTINGS," RECEIVED GREAT REVIEWS AND "IS" ECLECTIC WITH HIS GREAT PIANO PLAYING AND INCLUDES STANDARDS, BLUES AND A GREAT VERSION OF "YOU DON'T KNOW ME."
THE BEST COMPILATION TO DATE IS THE 36 TRACK "FEEL LIKE GOING HOME: THE ESSENTIAL CHARLIE RICH"
WHICH INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LABELS INCLUDING BOTH DEMO (JUST CHARLIE AND HIS PIANO) AND WITH A CHOIR VERSIONS OF PERHAPS HIS GREATEST COMPOSITION "FEEL LIKE GOING HOME." PETER GURALNICK WROTE TWO FINE PORTRAITS OF THIS COMPLEX PERSONALITY IN HIS BOOKS "LOST HIGHWAY" AND "FEEL LIKE GOING HOME." YOU CAN READ MY REVIEWS OF A NUMBER OF HIS ALBUMS ON AMAZON.COM. RON BRACKNEY
material some of his best - includes "Another Place I Can't Go" which many consider an underrated classic. Now if I could just find the early Sun "Those Places Around Town" on anything - it was left off the Sun Box 3 CD set from Bear Records (which has an excellent 48 page book on Charlie with photos and quotes from his contempories at Sun).
And don't skip "The Complete Hi Recordings of Charlie Rich" CD, 2000, Cream/Hi Records. This has the Hank Williams cuts plus R & B cuts such as "I'll Shed No Tears" and previously unreleased "Any Time" track and undubbed version of "Only Me." Check out "My Heart Would Know" track for a heartfelt
song by Charlie - the man gets the "feeling" down. I had overlooked the Williams tunes in the past but Charlie does great
versions of these songs in his own jazzy/bluesy style.
By the way, Peter Guralnick writes a nice essay on Charlie in the liner notes of the "Pictures and Paintings" CD (1992). Ron Brackney