Johnny Darrell
Encyclopedia
Johnny Darrell was an American country music artist.
Darrell was born in Hopewell, Alabama
but grew up in Marietta, Georgia
. After a stint in the army, he moved to Nashville and began managing a Holiday Inn
near Music Row
when he was discovered by Kelso Herstin, a producer working for United Artists, on the recommendation of Bobby Bare
. In his recording career, Darrell established a trend of introducing "lyrically adventurous" songs that later became major hits for other artists.
His first single, a version of Curly Putman
's "Green Green Grass of Home
" was issued in 1965, to be followed by "As Long as the Wind Blows" in 1966. He was the first to record the Mel Tillis
song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town
", which became a top ten hit for him in 1967 and later a hit for Kenny Rogers
. This was followed by his performance of Dallas Frazier
's "the Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp" in 1968, and the crossover hit "With Pen in Hand", which would later became a hit for Vikki Carr
. In the 1970s, Darrell was associated with the Outlaw country
movement. Darrell suffered from diabetes, a disease which would impair his health and ability to perform. Darrell died from the disease at age 57 in Kennesaw, Georgia
, and was survived by his wife Jody.
Kris Kristofferson in a public interview once stated: "If ever there's a movie to be made, it should be made about Johnny Darrell". Many of music's great artists revered and befriended Johnny.
Darrell was born in Hopewell, Alabama
Hopewell, Cleburne County, Alabama
Hopewell is an unincorporated community in Cleburne County, Alabama, United States. It lies at an elevation of 1060 feet ....
but grew up in Marietta, Georgia
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
. After a stint in the army, he moved to Nashville and began managing a Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
near Music Row
Music Row
Music Row is an area just to the southwest of Downtown Nashville, Tennessee that is home to hundreds of businesses related to the country music, gospel music, and Contemporary Christian music industries...
when he was discovered by Kelso Herstin, a producer working for United Artists, on the recommendation of Bobby Bare
Bobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
. In his recording career, Darrell established a trend of introducing "lyrically adventurous" songs that later became major hits for other artists.
His first single, a version of Curly Putman
Curly Putman
Claude "Curly" Putman, Jr. is an American songwriter, based in Nashville. His biggest success was "Green, Green Grass of Home" , which was covered by Elvis Presley, Johnny Darrell, Gram Parsons, Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roberto Leal, Merle Haggard, Bobby Bare, Joe Tex, Nana...
's "Green Green Grass of Home
Green Green Grass of Home
"Green, Green Grass of Home", written by Claude "Curly" Putman, Jr., is a country song originally made popular by Porter Wagoner in 1965 and Bobby Bare in 1965. It was sung later by Tom Jones in 1966 when it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 3 December staying there for a total of seven...
" was issued in 1965, to be followed by "As Long as the Wind Blows" in 1966. He was the first to record the Mel Tillis
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis , known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits....
song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town
Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town
"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis. The song was made famous by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition in 1969. "Ruby" was originally recorded in 1967 by Johnny Darrell, who scored a number nine country hit with it that year....
", which became a top ten hit for him in 1967 and later a hit for Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
. This was followed by his performance of Dallas Frazier
Dallas Frazier
Dallas Frazier is an American country musician and songwriter who had success in the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:Frazier was born in Spiro, Oklahoma but was raised in Bakersfield, California...
's "the Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp" in 1968, and the crossover hit "With Pen in Hand", which would later became a hit for Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr
Vikki Carr is an American singer and humanitarian from El Paso, Texas. She has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.-Career:After taking the stage name 'Vikki Carr', she signed with Liberty Records in 1962...
. In the 1970s, Darrell was associated with the Outlaw country
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...
movement. Darrell suffered from diabetes, a disease which would impair his health and ability to perform. Darrell died from the disease at age 57 in Kennesaw, Georgia
Kennesaw, Georgia
Kennesaw is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It had a population of 29,783 according to the 2010 census. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Founded in 1887, Kennesaw has a past surrounded with railroad history...
, and was survived by his wife Jody.
Kris Kristofferson in a public interview once stated: "If ever there's a movie to be made, it should be made about Johnny Darrell". Many of music's great artists revered and befriended Johnny.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1966 | As Long as the Winds Blow | — | — | United Artists |
| 1967 | Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town | 37 | — | |
| 1968 | The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp | 37 | — | |
| With Pen in Hand | 23 | — | ||
| 1969 | Why You Been Gone So Long | 33 | 172 | |
| 1970 | California Stop Over | — | — | |
| The Best of Johnny Darrell | — | — | ||
| 1975 | Water Glass Full of Whiskey | — | — | Capricorn |
| 2000 | Singin' It Lonesome: The Very Best...1965-1970 | — | — | Raven |
| 2002 | The Complete Gusto/Starday/King Recordings | — | — | King |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1965 | "Green Green Grass of Home Green Green Grass of Home "Green, Green Grass of Home", written by Claude "Curly" Putman, Jr., is a country song originally made popular by Porter Wagoner in 1965 and Bobby Bare in 1965. It was sung later by Tom Jones in 1966 when it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 3 December staying there for a total of seven... " |
— | — | — | As Long as the Winds Blow |
| "As Long as the Wind Blows" | 30 | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Johnny Lose It All" | 44 | — | — | |
| "She's Mighty Gone" | 72 | — | — | Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town | |
| 1967 | "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis. The song was made famous by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition in 1969. "Ruby" was originally recorded in 1967 by Johnny Darrell, who scored a number nine country hit with it that year.... " |
9 | — | — | |
| "My Elusive Dreams My Elusive Dreams "My Elusive Dreams" is a country music song written by Billy Sherrill and Curly Putman, which has been recorded by several artists. The best-known version was recorded as a duet by David Houston and Tammy Wynette, becoming a No. 1 hit in October 1967; the song also peaked at No... " |
73 | — | — | The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp | |
| "Come See What's Left of Your Man" | 37 | — | — | Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town | |
| "The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp" | 22 | — | — | The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp | |
| 1968 | "With Pen in Hand" | 3 | 126 | — | With Pen in Hand |
| "I Ain't Buying" | 27 | — | — | Why You Been Gone So Long | |
| "Woman Without Love" | 20 | — | — | ||
| 1969 | "The Coming of the Roads" (with Anita Carter Anita Carter Ina Anita Carter , the youngest daughter of Ezra and Mother Maybelle Carter, was a versatile American singer who experimented with several different types of music and played stand-up bass with her sisters Helen Carter and June Carter Cash as The Carter Sisters... ) |
50 | — | — | single only |
| "Why You Been Gone So Long" | 17 | — | — | Why You Been Gone So Long | |
| "River Bottom" | 23 | — | 12 | ||
| "Trouble Maker" | — | — | — | single only | |
| 1970 | "Mama Come'n Get Your Baby Boy" | 68 | — | — | California Stop Over |
| "Brother River" | 75 | — | — | ||
| "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" | 74 | — | — | singles only | |
| 1971 | "Look Out Cleveland" | — | — | — | |
| "Don't It Seem to Rain a Lot" | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Crazy Daddy" | — | — | — | |
| "Dakota the Dancing Bear" | 66 | — | — | ||
| 1974 | "Orange Blossom Special Orange Blossom Special (song) The fiddle tune "Orange Blossom Special", about the passenger train of the same name, was written by Ervin T. Rouse in 1938. The original recording was created by Ervin and Gordon Rouse in 1939. It is considered the best known fiddle tune of the twentieth century and is often called simply The... " |
63 | — | — | Water Glass Full of Whiskey |
| 1975 | "Glendale Arizona" | — | — | — | |
| "Rose Colored Gin" | — | — | — |