Leroy Van Dyke
Encyclopedia
Leroy Frank Van Dyke is an American
country music
singer
best known for his hits, "The Auctioneer
" (1956) and "Walk On By
" (1961).
. He lived in Spencer, Wisconsin but graduated from the University of Missouri
majoring in agricultural journalism. He was catapulted into country music fame in 1956 with his composition "Auctioneer", (co-written with Buddy Black) which sold over 2.5 million records
. He wrote the song about the life of his cousin, National Auctioneers Association
Hall of Famer Ray Sims, also a Missourian. Van Dyke had the lead role of a budding country music performer in the 1967 movie What Am I Bid?, in which Sims played himself as an auctioneer.
In his 50 years-plus career, Van Dyke has recorded more than 500 songs, dozens of them making the charts
. His record of "Walk On By" (1961) was named by Billboard
magazine in 1994 as the biggest country single of all time, based on sales, plays and weeks in the charts. It stayed at number one in the U.S. country chart
for 19 weeks, and in all, charted for 42 weeks, also reaching No. 5 on the pop listings
. It sold more than 1.5 million copies.
Among the musicians with whom Van Dyke appeared was Allen "Puddler" Harris
of Louisiana
, later an associate of former governor Jimmie Davis
.
Other Van Dyke notable hits were "If A Woman Answers", "Black Cloud", "Big Man In A Big House", "Anne Of A Thousand Days", "Happy To Be Unhappy", "Night People", "Be A Good Girl", "Dim Dark Corner", "Five Steps Away", "How Long Must You Keep Me A Secret", "Afraid Of A Heartache", "Big Wide Wonderful World Of Country Music", "Birmingham", "Just A State Of Mind", "Mr. Professor", "My World Is Caving In", "The Other Boys Are Talking", "Poor Guy", "Roses From A Stranger", "Texas Tea", "Who’s Gonna Run The Truck Stop In Tuba City When I’m Gone", "Wrong Side Of The Tracks", "Your Daughter Cried All Night", "Your Money" and "The Life You Offered Me".
In the UK Singles Chart
Van Dyke had two hits; "Walk On By" reached No. 5 in February 1962, and "Big Man in a Big House" made No. 34 in May that year.
He was a cast member in the late 1950s on ABC-TV
's Ozark Jubilee
; and was co-host, with Bill Mack
, of the Southern Baptist Radio/TV Commission produced the Country Crossroads radio show for ten years, and was later joined by a third co-host, Jerry Clower
. It became the most widely-syndicated radio show in country music history.
Van Dyke continues a full performance schedule, traveling from his office/home complex on his 1,000-acre (4 km²) ranch in west central Missouri near Sedalia. He is a member of the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame, is active in many music industry organizations and, as a sideline, raises premium quality Arabian mule
s. All aspects of Leroy Van Dyke Enterprises are managed by his wife, Gladys, a former legal secretary and court reporter. Their son Ben, plays lead guitar with all Van Dyke performances.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
best known for his hits, "The Auctioneer
The Auctioneer
"The Auctioneer" is a 1956 country song by Leroy Van Dyke. It was co-written with Buddy Black.- Origin :...
" (1956) and "Walk On By
Walk On By (Leroy Van Dyke song)
"Walk on By" is a 1961 song written by Kendall Hayes and Gary Walker and performed by Leroy Van Dyke. "Walk on By" was Van Dyke's most successful single, spending 37 weeks on the country chart and a record-breaking 19 at the number-one position...
" (1961).
Biography
Van Dyke was born in Mora, MissouriMora, Missouri
Mora is an unincorporated community in northern Benton County, Missouri. It is located on Missouri Supplemental Route U about sixteen miles south of Sedalia.Mora is the birthplace of country music singer Leroy Van Dyke....
. He lived in Spencer, Wisconsin but graduated from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
majoring in agricultural journalism. He was catapulted into country music fame in 1956 with his composition "Auctioneer", (co-written with Buddy Black) which sold over 2.5 million records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. He wrote the song about the life of his cousin, National Auctioneers Association
National Auctioneers Association
The National Auctioneers Association , founded in 1949, is a advocacy group representing auctioneers, auction businesses and related companies that seeks to promote the auction method of marketing and the practice of auctioneering in the United States...
Hall of Famer Ray Sims, also a Missourian. Van Dyke had the lead role of a budding country music performer in the 1967 movie What Am I Bid?, in which Sims played himself as an auctioneer.
In his 50 years-plus career, Van Dyke has recorded more than 500 songs, dozens of them making the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. His record of "Walk On By" (1961) was named by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine in 1994 as the biggest country single of all time, based on sales, plays and weeks in the charts. It stayed at number one in the U.S. country chart
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...
for 19 weeks, and in all, charted for 42 weeks, also reaching No. 5 on the pop listings
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...
. It sold more than 1.5 million copies.
Among the musicians with whom Van Dyke appeared was Allen "Puddler" Harris
Allen "Puddler" Harris
Allen W. "Puddler" Harris is a rock and roll and country musician who played piano in the original Ricky Nelson Band in Hollywood, California, and the last Jimmie Davis band in Louisiana...
of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, later an associate of former governor Jimmie Davis
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
.
Other Van Dyke notable hits were "If A Woman Answers", "Black Cloud", "Big Man In A Big House", "Anne Of A Thousand Days", "Happy To Be Unhappy", "Night People", "Be A Good Girl", "Dim Dark Corner", "Five Steps Away", "How Long Must You Keep Me A Secret", "Afraid Of A Heartache", "Big Wide Wonderful World Of Country Music", "Birmingham", "Just A State Of Mind", "Mr. Professor", "My World Is Caving In", "The Other Boys Are Talking", "Poor Guy", "Roses From A Stranger", "Texas Tea", "Who’s Gonna Run The Truck Stop In Tuba City When I’m Gone", "Wrong Side Of The Tracks", "Your Daughter Cried All Night", "Your Money" and "The Life You Offered Me".
In the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
Van Dyke had two hits; "Walk On By" reached No. 5 in February 1962, and "Big Man in a Big House" made No. 34 in May that year.
He was a cast member in the late 1950s on ABC-TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
; and was co-host, with Bill Mack
Bill Mack
Bill Mack is one of the most recognizable voices in country music radio. For many years, Mack was best known as the host of The Country Roads Show, the overnight country music show on WBAP, a clear channel station in Fort Worth...
, of the Southern Baptist Radio/TV Commission produced the Country Crossroads radio show for ten years, and was later joined by a third co-host, Jerry Clower
Jerry Clower
Howard Gerald "Jerry" Clower was a popular country comedian best known for his stories of the rural South. He was often nicknamed "The Mouth of the South", although this title has also been used for other individuals.Clower began a 2-year stint in the Navy immediately after graduating high school...
. It became the most widely-syndicated radio show in country music history.
Van Dyke continues a full performance schedule, traveling from his office/home complex on his 1,000-acre (4 km²) ranch in west central Missouri near Sedalia. He is a member of the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame, is active in many music industry organizations and, as a sideline, raises premium quality Arabian mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s. All aspects of Leroy Van Dyke Enterprises are managed by his wife, Gladys, a former legal secretary and court reporter. Their son Ben, plays lead guitar with all Van Dyke performances.
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Walk On By | Mercury |
| Movin' Van Dyke | ||
| 1963 | The Great Hits | |
| 1964 | Songs for Mom and Dad | |
| At the Trade Winds | ||
| 1965 | Out of Love | Wing |
| Walk On By | Mt. Dew | |
| The Leroy Van Dyke Show | Warner Bros. | |
| 1966 | Country Hits | |
| Movin | Wing | |
| Auctioneer | Dot | |
| 1967 | Have a Party | Mt. Dew |
| What Am I Bid | MGM | |
| 1968 | Lonesome Is | Kapp |
| 1969 | Greatest Hits | |
| Just a Closer Walk with Thee | ||
| I've Never Been Loved Before | Harmony | |
| 1972 | Greatest Hits | Decca |
| 1973 | Golden Hits | Sun |
| 1975 | Just for You | Dot |
| 1977 | Gospel Greats | Plantation |
| 1978 | Rock Relics | |
| 1982 | Cross Section | Audiograph |
| 1983 | Audiograph Live |
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... |
|||
| 1956 | "The Auctioneer The Auctioneer "The Auctioneer" is a 1956 country song by Leroy Van Dyke. It was co-written with Buddy Black.- Origin :... " |
9 | 19 | single only |
| 1961 | "Walk On By Walk On By (Leroy Van Dyke song) "Walk on By" is a 1961 song written by Kendall Hayes and Gary Walker and performed by Leroy Van Dyke. "Walk on By" was Van Dyke's most successful single, spending 37 weeks on the country chart and a record-breaking 19 at the number-one position... " |
1 | 5 | Walk On By |
| 1962 | "If a Woman Answers (Hang Up the Phone)" | 3 | 35 | Movin' Van Dyke |
| "Black Cloud" | 16 | The Great Hits | ||
| 1964 | "Happy to Be Unhappy" | 54 | singles only | |
| "Night People" | 45 | |||
| 1965 | "Anne of a Thousand Days" | 40 | ||
| 1966 | "Roses from a Stranger" | 34 | I've Never Been Loved Before | |
| 1967 | "I've Never Been Loved" | 66 | ||
| 1968 | "Louisville" | 23 | ||
| "You May Be Too Much for Memphis, Baby" | 69 | Lonesome Is | ||
| 1969 | "Crack in My World" | 56 | singles only | |
| 1970 | "An Old Love Affair, Now Showing" | 63 | ||
| "Mister Professor" | 71 | |||
| 1971 | "I Get Lonely When It Rains" | 62 | ||
| 1972 | "I'd Rather Be Wantin' Love" | 69 | ||
| 1975 | "Unfaithful Fools" | 79 | ||
| 1976 | "Who's Gonna Run the Truck Stop in Tuba City When I'm Gone?" |
75 | ||
| 1977 | "Texas Tea" | 77 |
External links
- Official Web site
- [ Allmusic.com]