R.C. Bannon
Encyclopedia
Daniel Shipley is an American country music
singer, known professionally as R.C. Bannon. Active since 1977, Bannon has recorded for the Columbia
and RCA
labels. He was also married to singer Louise Mandrell
from 1979 to 1991, and charted six duets with her in addition to twelve singles of his own. His highest-charting single was "Reunited," a duet with her that reached number 13 on the country music charts in 1979; his most successful solo single is "Winners and Losers" at number 26. Bannon has also recorded one album of his own and two with Mandrell, in addition to co-writing songs for Ronnie Milsap
, Bobby G. Rice
, Barbara Mandrell
and Steve Azar
.
. There, he sang in his family's church choir as a child, later taking interest in rock music
as well as gospel
. He also played guitar in several rock bands during the late 1950s and into the 1960s.
In the mid-1960s, Shipley's family moved to Seattle, Washington
, where he performed in nightclubs and sang on a local television program every morning, in addition to working as a disc jockey
. It was during his tenure as a disc jockey that he took the professional name R.C. Bannon. After opening for Marty Robbins
, Robbins encouraged him to move to Nashville; Bannon declined at first, and attempted to sign to various labels near California
. He briefly signed a contract with Capitol Records
, but did not release anything for that label.
("The Softest Touch in Town") and Ronnie Milsap
(the Number One "Only One Love in My Life
"). In 1977, he signed to Columbia Records
, who released his debut album, R.C. Bannon Arrives. Three of the album's cuts made the Hot Country Songs
charts, including the #33 "It Doesn't Matter Anymore." The album included several songs that Bannon co-wrote, most in collaboration with John Bettis
. By 1979, he married Louise Mandrell
, with whom he would chart six duets, including the #13 "Reunited," his highest-charting single. The two released five duets albums between 1979 and 1982. He and Bettis also co-wrote "One of a Kind Pair of Fools" for Louise's sister, Barbara Mandrell
. Bannon continued to perform as a musician in Mandrell's show, even after divorcing her in 1991. In the 2000s, Bannon co-wrote Steve Azar
's "I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday)
." He subsequently married Natalie McGill.
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, known professionally as R.C. Bannon. Active since 1977, Bannon has recorded for the Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
labels. He was also married to singer Louise Mandrell
Louise Mandrell
Thelma Louise Mandrell, also known as Louise Mandrell, was born July 13, 1954 and is an American country music singer. She is the younger sister of country singer Barbara Mandrell, and older sister of actress Irlene Mandrell. Louise had a successful singing career in country music with a string of...
from 1979 to 1991, and charted six duets with her in addition to twelve singles of his own. His highest-charting single was "Reunited," a duet with her that reached number 13 on the country music charts in 1979; his most successful solo single is "Winners and Losers" at number 26. Bannon has also recorded one album of his own and two with Mandrell, in addition to co-writing songs for Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
, Bobby G. Rice
Bobby G. Rice
Robert Gene Rice is an American country music singer-songwriter, known professionally as Bobby G. Rice. Between 1970 and 1988, Rice released nine albums and charted thirty songs on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart...
, Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
and Steve Azar
Steve Azar
Stephen Thomas "Steve" Azar is an American country music artist. Azar was signed to River North Nashville in 1995, and he released his debut album on February 27, 1996. After leaving River North, Azar took time away from his music...
.
Biography
Dannie Shipley was born in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. There, he sang in his family's church choir as a child, later taking interest in rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
as well as gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. He also played guitar in several rock bands during the late 1950s and into the 1960s.
In the mid-1960s, Shipley's family moved to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, where he performed in nightclubs and sang on a local television program every morning, in addition to working as a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. It was during his tenure as a disc jockey that he took the professional name R.C. Bannon. After opening for Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
, Robbins encouraged him to move to Nashville; Bannon declined at first, and attempted to sign to various labels near California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He briefly signed a contract with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, but did not release anything for that label.
Musical career
Finally, in 1976, Bannon moved to Nashville. There, he worked at a discotheque, and later began meeting other singers and songwriters, including one named Harlan Sanders. After signing to a songwriting contract, he had his songs recorded by Robbins, as well as singles released by Bobby G. RiceBobby G. Rice
Robert Gene Rice is an American country music singer-songwriter, known professionally as Bobby G. Rice. Between 1970 and 1988, Rice released nine albums and charted thirty songs on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart...
("The Softest Touch in Town") and Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
(the Number One "Only One Love in My Life
Only One Love in My Life (song)
""Only One Love in My Life" is the title track from Ronnie Milsap's 1978 album. "Only One Love in My Life" was written by R.C. Bannon and John Bettis and would be Ronnie Milsap's tenth number one on the country chart. The single stayed at number one for three weeks and spent a total of 11 weeks...
"). In 1977, he signed to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, who released his debut album, R.C. Bannon Arrives. Three of the album's cuts made the 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...
charts, including the #33 "It Doesn't Matter Anymore." The album included several songs that Bannon co-wrote, most in collaboration with John Bettis
John Bettis
John Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
. By 1979, he married Louise Mandrell
Louise Mandrell
Thelma Louise Mandrell, also known as Louise Mandrell, was born July 13, 1954 and is an American country music singer. She is the younger sister of country singer Barbara Mandrell, and older sister of actress Irlene Mandrell. Louise had a successful singing career in country music with a string of...
, with whom he would chart six duets, including the #13 "Reunited," his highest-charting single. The two released five duets albums between 1979 and 1982. He and Bettis also co-wrote "One of a Kind Pair of Fools" for Louise's sister, Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
. Bannon continued to perform as a musician in Mandrell's show, even after divorcing her in 1991. In the 2000s, Bannon co-wrote Steve Azar
Steve Azar
Stephen Thomas "Steve" Azar is an American country music artist. Azar was signed to River North Nashville in 1995, and he released his debut album on February 27, 1996. After leaving River North, Azar took time away from his music...
's "I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday)
I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday)
"I Don't Have To Be Me " is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Steve Azar. It was released in October 2001 as the lead-off single from his second studio album, Waitin' on Joe, it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, becoming Azar's...
." He subsequently married Natalie McGill.
Albums
| Year | Album information | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | R.C. Bannon Arrives
|
— |
| 1979 | Inseparable (with Louise Mandrell)
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... |
— |
| 1980 | Love Won't Let Us Go (with Louise Mandrell)
|
— |
| 1981 | Me and My R.C. (with Louise Mandrell)
RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
20 |
| 1982 | (You're My) Super Woman/(You're My) Incredible Man (with Louise Mandrell) |
44 |
| 1983 | The Best (with Louise Mandrell)
|
— |
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... |
|||
| 1977 | "Southbound" | 99 | R.C. Bannon Arrives |
| "Rainbows and Horseshoes" | 90 | ||
| "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" | 33 | ||
| 1978 | "(The Truth Is) We're Livin' a Lie" | 64 | |
| "Somebody's Gonna Do It Tonight" | 64 | singles only | |
| 1979 | "Winners and Losers" | 26 | |
| 1980 | "Lovely Lonely Lady" | 65 | |
| "If You're Serious About Cheatin'" | 61 | ||
| "Never Be Anyone Else" | 36 | ||
| 1982 | "Til Something Better Comes Along" | 46 | Me and My R.C. |
Duets with Louise Mandrell
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1979 | "I Thought You'd Never Ask" | 46 | — | Inseparable |
| "Reunited" | 13 | — | ||
| "We Love Each Other" | 48 | — | ||
| 1981 | "Where There's Smoke There's Fire" | 35 | 45 | Me and My R.C. |
| 1982 | "Our Wedding Band" | 56 | 45 | |
| "Just Married" | flip | — | ||
Other charted songs
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 1982 | "Christmas Is Just a Song for Us This Year" (w/ Louise Mandrell) |
35 | Country Christmas |