Jack Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Andrew Jackson Rhodes (1907-1968) was an American country music producer and songwriter, penning such hits as "A Satisfied Mind
", "Silver Threads and Golden Needles
", "Conscience I'm Guilty", "The Waltz of the Angels", "Beautiful Lies", and "Till the Last Leaf Shall Fall". Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 1972 (posthumously), he is most recently celebrated as one of the founding father's of Rockabilly, imparting a country/rock infusion. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2009, and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Mineola Historical Museum in Mineola, Texas.
Jack Rhodes is recognised for the groundbreaking Rockabilly songs, "Rockin Bones", "Action Packed" and "Woman Love". Revered as an influential mentor for many an upstart artist in the mid to late 1950s, he and his fellow collaborators wrote many songs for Gene Vincent
while on the Capitol label.
BMI awarded him for over a million radio broadcast
s for "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", and has received numerous gold records for various releases. One of these was a US country music #1 Hit with "A Satisfied Mind" by Porter Wagoner.
Rhodes started his career as a songwriter after breaking his back in a work-related accident. While recovering, he began writing songs, trying to stave off the boredom of being bedridden.
, The Lone Star Buddies being among the most famous. The group released several singles and were regulars at The Louisiana Hayride
, as well as performing throughout East Texas and Louisiana.
He also formed The Jack Rhodes Ramblers.
Rhodes founded his own record label
, "National Sounds", under his company, All-Roads Music. However, pressings from this label are rare and much sought after by collectors. Most releases were Rockabilly songs, although some standard country songs were also made.
"The Lone Star Buddies"
"Lipstick Trail"
"Empty Arms"
"Mama Loves Papa, and Papa Loves the Women"
— "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "The People vs. Larry Flynt"
Glen Campbell
Jeff Buckley
Johnny Cash
— "Kill Bill Vol. 2"
Red Foley
Joan Baez
Bob Dylan
The Byrds
— "Woman Love"
Gene Vincent
— "The Singing Detective"
Hazel Dickens
— "By The Sweat Of My Brow"
During World War II, he worked in the Houston, Texas
shipyards, where he eventually injured his back in a fall and, as a result, began songwriting.
Rhodes owned a café in Grand Saline, Texas
, and later opened The Trail 80 Motor Courts, a gas station and restaurant in Mineola, Texas
.
Leon Payne (Rhodes' step-brother) wrote "I Love You Because", which has been covered by — among others — Elvis Presley
(Elvis Presley LP, 1956), Al Martino
(Billboard Hot 100 #3, 1963), Jim Reeves
(UK Singles Chart #5, 1964), Johnny Cash
, Matt Monro
and Slim Whitman
.
Rhodes' first wife's name was Lucille, although the date of their marriage is unknown. They had three sons, called Bobby, Billy Jack and Don, and a daughter, Wanda. Bobby was killed while crossing traffic as a young boy.
Rhodes divorced Lucille in the mid to early 1950s, and in 1955 married Loretta Williams. They had one son, Buddy, in 1956.
In October 1968, Jack Rhodes died of a heart attack.
A Satisfied Mind
A Satisfied Mind is a compilation of 9 of the 12 songs from the 1962 Capitol album Big Bluegrass Special plus "A Satisfied Mind" which was previously released as flipside of Glen Campbell's 1966 Capitol single "Can’t You See I’m Trying"....
", "Silver Threads and Golden Needles
Silver Threads and Golden Needles
"Silver Threads and Golden Needles", a song written by Jack Rhodes and Dick Reynolds, was first recorded by Wanda Jackson in 1956. The original lyrics, as performed by Jackson, contain a verse not usually included in later versions, which also often differed in other minor details.-Other versions:*...
", "Conscience I'm Guilty", "The Waltz of the Angels", "Beautiful Lies", and "Till the Last Leaf Shall Fall". Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with music community in the city of...
in 1972 (posthumously), he is most recently celebrated as one of the founding father's of Rockabilly, imparting a country/rock infusion. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2009, and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Mineola Historical Museum in Mineola, Texas.
Jack Rhodes is recognised for the groundbreaking Rockabilly songs, "Rockin Bones", "Action Packed" and "Woman Love". Revered as an influential mentor for many an upstart artist in the mid to late 1950s, he and his fellow collaborators wrote many songs for Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
while on the Capitol label.
BMI awarded him for over a million radio broadcast
Radio programming
Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....
s for "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", and has received numerous gold records for various releases. One of these was a US country music #1 Hit with "A Satisfied Mind" by Porter Wagoner.
Rhodes started his career as a songwriter after breaking his back in a work-related accident. While recovering, he began writing songs, trying to stave off the boredom of being bedridden.
Career
Throughout his early years, Jack Rhodes formed several groups with his step-brother, Leon PayneLeon Payne
Leon Payne , "the Blind Balladeer", was a country music singer and songwriter.-Life:Leon Roger Payne was born in Alba, Texas on June 15, 1917. He was blind in one eye at birth, and lost the sight of the other eye in early childhood. He attended the Texas School for the Blind from 1924 to 1935,...
, The Lone Star Buddies being among the most famous. The group released several singles and were regulars at The Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...
, as well as performing throughout East Texas and Louisiana.
He also formed The Jack Rhodes Ramblers.
Rhodes founded his own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, "National Sounds", under his company, All-Roads Music. However, pressings from this label are rare and much sought after by collectors. Most releases were Rockabilly songs, although some standard country songs were also made.
"The Lone Star Buddies"
"Lipstick Trail"
"Empty Arms"
"Mama Loves Papa, and Papa Loves the Women"
Covers and Movie Soundtracks
Porter WaggonerPorter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
— "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "The People vs. Larry Flynt"
Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
— "Kill Bill Vol. 2"
Red Foley
Red Foley
Clyde Julian Foley , better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II....
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
— "Woman Love"
Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
— "The Singing Detective"
Hazel Dickens
Hazel Dickens
Hazel Jane Dickens was an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist. She was the eighth child of an eleven-child mining family in West Virginia. Her music was characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union, feminist songs...
— "By The Sweat Of My Brow"
Biography
Jack Rhodes was born in 1908 in Van Zandt County, Texas. Little is known about his early childhood except that he never completed school. It has been rumored that he only made it through the third grade. Like many school-age children during that period, he quit to help support his family.During World War II, he worked in the Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
shipyards, where he eventually injured his back in a fall and, as a result, began songwriting.
Rhodes owned a café in Grand Saline, Texas
Grand Saline, Texas
Grand Saline is a city in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States, located in East Texas. The population is 3,262. Grand Saline is the third largest city in Van Zandt County and is a part of the Greater Tyler/Longview area...
, and later opened The Trail 80 Motor Courts, a gas station and restaurant in Mineola, Texas
Mineola, Texas
Mineola is a city in Wood County, Texas, United States. It lies at the junction of U.S. highways 69 and 80, eighty miles east of Dallas in southwestern Wood County...
.
Leon Payne (Rhodes' step-brother) wrote "I Love You Because", which has been covered by — among others — Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
(Elvis Presley LP, 1956), Al Martino
Al Martino
Al Martino was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The...
(Billboard Hot 100 #3, 1963), Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
(UK Singles Chart #5, 1964), Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Matt Monro
Matt Monro
Matt Monro was an English singer who became one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene during the 1960s...
and Slim Whitman
Slim Whitman
Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr. , known professionally as Slim Whitman, is an American country music singer and songwriter, known for his yodelling abilities. He has sold in excess of 120 million albums in unit sales and has had numerous successful recordings...
.
Rhodes' first wife's name was Lucille, although the date of their marriage is unknown. They had three sons, called Bobby, Billy Jack and Don, and a daughter, Wanda. Bobby was killed while crossing traffic as a young boy.
Rhodes divorced Lucille in the mid to early 1950s, and in 1955 married Loretta Williams. They had one son, Buddy, in 1956.
In October 1968, Jack Rhodes died of a heart attack.
External links
- Hollywood.com http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/Jack_Rhodes/1494533