Melvin Endsley
Encyclopedia
Melvin Endsley was a musician, singer, and songwriter best known for writing the song "Singing the Blues
", along with over 400 songs recorded by hundreds of artists since 1956. Some of the artists that have recorded his songs include Johnny Cash
, Marty Robbins
, Andy Williams
, Paul McCartney
, Stonewall Jackson
, and Ricky Skaggs
. At the beginning of his career, Endsley recorded including RCA and MGM, however, his vocal recordings were commercially unsuccessful. In 1998, he was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.
on 30 January 1934. When he was three years old, he contracted polio, requiring him to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. From the age of 11, he spent three years in the Crippled Children's Hospital in Memphis. While there, he listened to country music on the radio and taught himself to play the guitar. After returning to Drasco, he began to play on radio shows. By the time he was he was 20 years old, his song, "It Happens Everytime", caught the attention of Don Gibson
and Dorsey Burnette
.
to pitch it backstage. In 1956, Marty Robbins recorded the song, which is credited with putting Robbins on the map. Endsley's writing talents were in high demand, after Robbins success with "Singing the Blues". The song became a number one record for Marty Robbins, Guy Mitchell
, and Tommy Steele
on various music genre charts.
In October 1956, Guy Mitchell
released "Singing the Blues", after which, it spent nine weeks at #1 on the U.S. Billboard chart from December 8, 1956
to February 2, 1957
. Mitchell's version was also #1 in the U.K. for three (non-consecutive) weeks in early 1957. In late 1956 and early 1957, Marty Robbins' version made it to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
chart for 13 weeks, peaking at #17 on the U.S. pop charts.
Additional memorable versions of "Singing the Blues" include Bill Haley & His Comets
' 1960 recording, a 1963
version by Dean Martin
, and a 1971
version by Black Oak Arkansas
. The song also made an appearance on an episode of I Love Lucy
, when it was sung by Vivian Vance
and William Frawley
for a Ford Motor Company television commercial promoting the Edsel. In 1991, the song was performed live by Paul McCartney
on the MTV show Unplugged and included on the soundtrack, Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
.
Endsley had further success with the song "Love Me to Pieces", which was recorded by Jill Corey, Janise Martin, and Janet Eden in 1957. Robbins and Guy Mitchell
had hits with "Knee Deep in the Blues
" in 1957 and 1991. Andy Williams recorded "I Like Your Kind of Love" in 1957, while The Browns
covered "I'd Just Be Fool Enough" in 1966. Other hits include "I Ain't Getting Nowhere With You" and "Bring the Blues to My Door."
Endsley himself had recorded "I Like Your Kind of Love" and "I'd Just Be Fool Enough" while he was under contract with RCA 1957-58. When his contract with RCA ended, he signed with MGM for a year, followed by a two-year stint with Hickory from 1960-61. He also recorded occasionally on his own record label, Mel-Ark. His last major hit, was with "Why I'm Walkin'", recorded by Stonewall Jackson in 1960. Over the course of Endsley's career, he wrote over 400 songs.
Additional writing credits
Singing the Blues
"Singing the Blues" is a popular song written by Melvin Endsley and published in 1956. The best-known recording was released in October 1956 by Guy Mitchell and spent nine weeks at #1 on the U.S...
", along with over 400 songs recorded by hundreds of artists since 1956. Some of the artists that have recorded his songs include 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...
, Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
, Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson (musician)
Stonewall Jackson is an American country singer and musician who achieved his greatest fame during country's "golden" honky tonk era in the 1950s and early 1960s.-Early years:...
, and Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
. At the beginning of his career, Endsley recorded including RCA and MGM, however, his vocal recordings were commercially unsuccessful. In 1998, he was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.
Early life
Endsley was born in Drasco, ArkansasDrasco, Arkansas
Drasco is an unincorporated community in Cleburne County, Arkansas, with a ZIP code of 72530. Drasco lies just northeast of Greers Ferry Lake and includes the community of Tannenbaum. Drasco has a small food mart, a couple of restaurants, and a local hardware store.- References :...
on 30 January 1934. When he was three years old, he contracted polio, requiring him to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. From the age of 11, he spent three years in the Crippled Children's Hospital in Memphis. While there, he listened to country music on the radio and taught himself to play the guitar. After returning to Drasco, he began to play on radio shows. By the time he was he was 20 years old, his song, "It Happens Everytime", caught the attention of Don Gibson
Don Gibson
Donald Eugene "Don" Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.-Biography:Don Gibson was...
and Dorsey Burnette
Dorsey Burnette
Dorsey Burnette was an early Rockabilly singer. With his younger brother, Johnny Burnette, and a friend named Paul Burlison, he was a founder member of The Rock and Roll Trio.-Background and early career:Dorsey Burnett was born on December 28, 1932 to Willie May and Dorsey Burnett Sr...
.
Career
Endsley wrote "Singing the Blues" in 1954. The following year, he took the song to Nashville's Grand Ole OpryGrand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
to pitch it backstage. In 1956, Marty Robbins recorded the song, which is credited with putting Robbins on the map. Endsley's writing talents were in high demand, after Robbins success with "Singing the Blues". The song became a number one record for Marty Robbins, Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
, and Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele OBE , is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.-Singer:...
on various music genre charts.
In October 1956, Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
released "Singing the Blues", after which, it spent nine weeks at #1 on the U.S. Billboard chart from December 8, 1956
1956 in music
-Events:*January 26 – Buddy Holly's first recording sessions for Decca Records take place in Nashville, Tennessee*Roy Orbison signs with Sun Records*January 27 – Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel" / "I Was the One" is released...
to February 2, 1957
1957 in music
-Events:*January 5 – Renato Carosone and his band start their American tour in Cuba.*January 6 – Elvis Presley makes his final appearance on the The Ed Sullivan Show.*January 16 – The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool, UK....
. Mitchell's version was also #1 in the U.K. for three (non-consecutive) weeks in early 1957. In late 1956 and early 1957, Marty Robbins' version made it to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
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...
chart for 13 weeks, peaking at #17 on the U.S. pop charts.
Additional memorable versions of "Singing the Blues" include Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
' 1960 recording, a 1963
1963 in music
-Events:*January 1 – The Beatles start a 5-day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single, "Love Me Do".*January 4 – At Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, Dalida receives a Juke Box Global Oscar for the year's most-played artist on juke boxes....
version by Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, and a 1971
1971 in music
-Events:*February 1 – after months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.*February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music...
version by Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s with ten charting albums released in that decade...
. The song also made an appearance on an episode of I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, when it was sung by Vivian Vance
Vivian Vance
Vivian Roberta Jones was an American television and theater actress and singer. Often referred to as “TV’s most beloved second banana,” she is best known for her role as Ethel Mertz, sidekick to Lucille Ball on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, and as Vivian Bagley on The Lucy...
and William Frawley
William Frawley
William Clement "Bill" Frawley was an American stage entertainer, screen and television actor. Although Frawley acted in over 100 films, he achieved his greatest fame playing landlord Fred Mertz for the situation comedy I Love Lucy.-Early life:William was born to Michael A. Frawley and Mary E....
for a Ford Motor Company television commercial promoting the Edsel. In 1991, the song was performed live by Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
on the MTV show Unplugged and included on the soundtrack, Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
- Personnel :*Paul McCartney: Acoustic guitar, drums, vocals.*Linda McCartney: Piano, Indian harmonium, percussion, vocals.*Hamish Stuart: Acoustic bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals.*Robbie McIntosh: Acoustic guitars, piano, dobro, vocals....
.
Endsley had further success with the song "Love Me to Pieces", which was recorded by Jill Corey, Janise Martin, and Janet Eden in 1957. Robbins and Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
had hits with "Knee Deep in the Blues
Knee Deep in the Blues
"Knee Deep in the Blues" is a song written by Melvin Endsley and was recorded by Marty Robbins in 1957. The song reached #3 on the Country Singles charts.-Guy Mitchell version:...
" in 1957 and 1991. Andy Williams recorded "I Like Your Kind of Love" in 1957, while The Browns
The Browns
The Browns were an American country and folk music vocal trio best known for their 1959 Grammy-nominated hit, "The Three Bells". The group, composed of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie Brown, had a close, smooth harmony characteristic of the Nashville sound, though their music also...
covered "I'd Just Be Fool Enough" in 1966. Other hits include "I Ain't Getting Nowhere With You" and "Bring the Blues to My Door."
Endsley himself had recorded "I Like Your Kind of Love" and "I'd Just Be Fool Enough" while he was under contract with RCA 1957-58. When his contract with RCA ended, he signed with MGM for a year, followed by a two-year stint with Hickory from 1960-61. He also recorded occasionally on his own record label, Mel-Ark. His last major hit, was with "Why I'm Walkin'", recorded by Stonewall Jackson in 1960. Over the course of Endsley's career, he wrote over 400 songs.
Published works
"Singing The Blues" recorded by- Marty RobbinsMarty RobbinsMartin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
(1956, 1991) - Tommy SteeleTommy SteeleTommy Steele OBE , is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.-Singer:...
(with the Steelmen) (1956) - Guy MitchellGuy MitchellGuy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
(1956) - Johnnie RayJohnnie RayJohnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
(1957) - Johnny BurnetteJohnny BurnetteJohn Joseph "Johnny" Burnette was an American rockabilly musician. Along with his older brother Dorsey Burnette, and also a friend named Paul Burlison, Burnette was a founding member of The Rock and Roll Trio. He was the father of 1980s rockabilly singer Rocky Burnette.-Early life:Johnny Burnette...
(1961) - Ace CannonAce CannonJohn "Ace" Cannon is an American tenor and alto saxophonist. He played and toured with Hi Records stablemate Bill Black’s Combo, and started a solo career with his record "Tuff" in 1961, using the Black combo as his backing group. "Tuff" hit #17 on the U.S...
(1964) - Jason Eddie and The Centremen (1966)
- Freddie Randall (1971)
- Golden Country & Western Hits 1 various artists (1973)
- Ray ColumbusRay ColumbusRay Columbus is a New Zealand solo singer and entertainer who has had a career spanning six decades. He was lead singer of Ray Columbus & the Invaders who had a hit with She's A Mod in the 1960s. Since then he has been a solo singer and television host.-Links:* *...
(1973) - 40 Golden Hits various artists (1974)
- John SebastianJohn SebastianJohn Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
(1974) - K-Tel various artists (1974)
- Million $ellers From USA various artists (1974)
- Popular Music's Golden Hit Parade various artists (1976)
- Laurie Andrew (1976)
- Claudius Alzner and Seine Solisten (1976)
- Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
(1978, 1982, 1987) - Dave EdmundsDave EdmundsDavid 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
(1980, 1981) - Kevin CoyneKevin CoyneKevin Coyne was a musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. The former "anti-star" was born on 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK, and died in his adopted home of Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 December 2004....
(1985) - Oldies But Goldies various artists (1987)
- Hits Of The Fifties various artists (1988)
- Wojciech Gąssowski (1988)
- Randy TravisRandy TravisRandy Travis is an American country music singer and actor. Since 1985, he has recorded 20 studio albums and charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, 22 of which were number one hits...
(1989)
Additional writing credits
- "Atombombiges" recorded by Pirron und Knapp (1956)
- "Knee Deep in the BluesKnee Deep in the Blues"Knee Deep in the Blues" is a song written by Melvin Endsley and was recorded by Marty Robbins in 1957. The song reached #3 on the Country Singles charts.-Guy Mitchell version:...
" recorded by Tommy Steele and The Steelmen (1956) and Guy Mitchell with Ray ConniffRay ConniffJoseph Raymond Conniff was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.-Biography:...
(1957), Vassar ClementsVassar ClementsVassar Clements was a Grammy Award- winning American jazz, swing, and bluegrass fiddler. Clements has been dubbed the Father of Hillbilly Jazz, an improvisational style that blends and borrows from swing, hot jazz, and bluegrass along with roots also in country and other musical...
(1988), Honky Tonk Heroes various artists (1990), Marty Robbins (1991) - "I Like Your Kind of Love" recorded by Andy WilliamsAndy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
(1957) and The KestrelsThe KestrelsThe Kestrels were a vocal harmony quartet from Bristol, England, most notable as the group through which the songwriting team of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway first met and started composing jointly...
(1958) - "Love Me to PiecesLove Me to Pieces"Love Me to Pieces" is a popular and country song. It was written by Melvin Endsley and was published in 1957.The song was recorded by a number of country music singers, including Janis Martin, Kitty Wells and Rusty & Doug...
" recorded by Jill CoreyJill CoreyJill Corey is a retired American traditional pop singer.Nee Norma Jean Speranza in Avonmore, Pennsylvania, about forty miles east of Pittsburgh, a coal mining community, Corey was the youngest of five children...
(1957) and Janet Eden (1957) - "Warum Strahlen Heu' Nacht Die Sterne So Hell" recorded by Die Monte Carlos (1957), K-Tel various artists compilation (1982)
- "Min Blåaste Blues (Singing The Blues)" recorded by Ulla AnderssonUlla AnderssonUlla Agneta Jones née Andersson, known professionally as Ulla Andersson and as Ulla Jones is a former high fashion model, actress, singer and songwriter who appeared on numerous magazine covers during the 1960s, before she retired from the Ford Modelling Agency, and has been married to Quincy Jones...
and Johnny Svängman Showband (1957) - "Why I'm Walkin'" recorded by Wanda JacksonWanda JacksonWanda Lavonne Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist...
(1961) and Skeeter DavisSkeeter DavisMary Frances Penick , better known as Skeeter Davis, was an American country music singer best known for crossover pop music songs of the early 1960s. She started out as part of The Davis Sisters as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Records. In the late '50s, she became a solo...
(1963) - "I'd Just Be Fool Enough" recorded by MGM various artists compilation (1964)
- "Tout Le Long Du Chemin (Singing The Blues)" recorded by Hugues AufrayHugues AufrayHugues Aufray is a French singer. He began his career singing in Spanish....
and the Skiffle Group (1964) - "Zwei Wie Wir" recorded by Benny and Amigo Charly Brown (1976)
- "Ain't I The Lucky One" recorded by Marty Robbins (1991)
- "Honey Baby" recorded by Peter KrausPeter KrausPeter Kraus is a German singer and actor.Born Peter Siegfried Krausenecker in Munich, Kraus was popular especially in the 1950s, notably in those musical comedy films where he played opposite Cornelia Froboess.- Youth :...
(1992)