Jim Reeves

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Jim Reeves
Birth name James Travis Reeves
Born August 20, 1923(1923-08-20)
Origin Galloway, Texas
Died July 31, 1964 (aged 40); Williamson County, Tennessee
Genre(s) Country, countrypolitan
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Years active 1949–1964
Label(s) Macy, Abbott, Fabor, RCA Records
Associated acts Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer, Dottie West

James Travis "Jim" Reeves (August 20, 1923 – July 31, 1964) was an American country and pop singer.

Contents

[edit] Early life and rise to fame

Jim Reeves was born in Galloway, Texas, a small rural community near Carthage. He became known as a crooner because of his warm, velvety voice. His songs were remarkable for their simple elegance highlighted by his rich light baritone voice. Songs such as "He'll Have to Go," "Adios Amigo (song)," "Welcome To My World," and "Am I Losing You" demonstrated this approach. Jim Reeves' Christmas songs have been perennial favorites, including songs such as "Silver Bells," "Blue Christmas," and "An Old Christmas Card".

For many years, Reeves mixed college life with baseball and music. Influenced by such Western swing artists as Jimmie Rodgers and Moon Mullican as well as popular crooners Bing Crosby, Eddy Arnold and Frank Sinatra, it was not long before he got a foothold into the music industry. For a time, he was a member of Moon Mullican's band and also worked as a DJ and announcer with local radio stations. He made some early, Moon Mullican-style recordings like "Each Beat of my Heart" and "My Heart's Like a Welcome Mat" in the late 1940s/early 1950s.

After an injury cut short his minor-league baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, his musical break came while working as announcer on KWKH Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Singer Sleepy LaBeef could not make it on time for a performance on the Louisiana Hayride, according to former Hayride emcee Frank Page, and Reeves was asked to fill in. (Other accounts—including Reeves himself, in an interview later released on the RCA album Yours Sincerely—name Hank Williams as the absentee.) Reeves' singing career was launched.

[edit] Initial success in the 1950s

His first country hits included "I Love You" (a duet with Ginny Wright), "Mexican Joe", "Bimbo" and other songs on both Fabor Records and Abbott Records. Eventually, Reeves began to tire of the novelty bracket he had been forced into, and left for RCA Victor.

Indeed, by 1955 it was becoming apparent that RCA was very willing to sign Jim, and offered him a 10-year recording contract. Reeves signed, and the Abbot label had released a singer who was due to become one of country music's biggest and brightest stars. (Incidentally. the man who clinched the deal for RCA, Stephen H. Sholes, produced some of Jim's first recordings at RCA, and later in 1955 he completed a memorable "double" when he signed a young Elvis Presley for the company.)

In his earliest RCA Victor recordings, Reeves was still singing in the loud style of his first recordings, a style considered standard for country-western performers at that time. He sought to soften his volume, using a lower pitch and singing with lips nearly touching the microphone, but ran into some resistance at RCA—until in 1957, with the support of his producer Chet Atkins, he used this new style on his version of a demo song of lost love, written from a woman's perspective (and intended for a female singer). "Four Walls" not only took top position on the country charts, but went top-ten on the popular charts at the same time. Reeves had not only opened the door to wider acceptance for other country singers, but had also helped usher in a new style of country music, using violins and lusher background arrangements, soon called "The Nashville Sound."

[edit] His hits in the 1960s

Jim Reeves on one of his albums
Jim Reeves on one of his albums

In 1959–60 Reeves scored his greatest hit with the Joe Allison composition "He'll Have to Go," which earned him a platinum record. He had a posthumous No.1 hit on the United Kingdom pop charts in 1966 with "Distant Drums," a song written for him by Cindy Walker. Jim Reeves was one of the few Western singers, including music acts such as Boney M and ABBA, who became widely known in the non-European world, including Africa, India and Southeast Asia. To this day he is affectionately referred to as "Gentleman Jim" in those parts.

[edit] Death

Reeves died when the small aircraft he was piloting crashed during a thunderstorm near Nashville, Tennessee. His business partner and manager Dean Manuel (who was also the pianist in Reeves' backing group) was also killed in the crash. On July 31, 1964 Reeves and Manuel left Batesville, Arkansas en route to Nashville, having just secured a deal on some property. He had also unsuccessfully tried to buy property from the LaGrone family in Deadwood, Texas, north of his birthplace of Galloway. While flying over Brentwood, they encountered a violent thunderstorm which proved more than a match for the tiny, single-engined Beechcraft 'Debonair' aircraft. The plane faded from the radar screens at around 17:02, and all radio contact with the craft was lost.

One of the major causes of the crash was deemed to have been that the small airplane had become caught in the centre of the thunderstorm and that Reeves had become disoriented by "pilot's vertigo", which would have resulted in him not realizing in which direction the plane was travelling, be it up, down, left or right.

Both Reeves and Randy Hughes, the pilot of Patsy Cline's ill-fated plane, were trained by the same instructor.

It is now understood that Reeves was, in fact, flying the plane upside down and he assumed he was raising the craft some distance in an attempt to clear the path of the storm. Of course, this disastrously (and fatally) resulted in him taking the airplane downward and straight to the ground. This would have explained why, when the wreckage was eventually found some 42 hours later, the engine and nose of the plane were buried deep in the ground. The crash site is situated in a wooded area NNE of Brentwood roughly at the junction of Baxter Lane and Franklin Pike Circle just east of US interstate 65 and SW of Nashville international airport where he was seeking to land..

On the morning of August 2, 1964, after an agonizing and intense search (aided by such people as Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold, Stonewall Jackson and Ernest Tubb) the bodies of Jim Reeves and Dean Manuel were found amongst the wreckage of the shattered plane. At 13:00 that afternoon, radio stations across the United States announced to their shocked and stunned audiences that Jim Reeves had been killed in a plane crash. In what can only be described as sad coincidence, riding high in the UK singles chart at the time was "I Won't Forget You" (written by Harlan Howard). The song later became a top ten hit in the United States.

Many thousands of people turned out to pay their last respects to Jim Reeves at his funeral, which took place on August 4, 1964. The coffin, draped in flowers from respectful fans, was driven through the silent streets of Nashville and to Jim's final resting place near his home town of Carthage, Texas.

[edit] Legacy

Reeves' records continued with good sales for both the old albums and a series of new ones. His widow, Mary, combined unreleased tracks with rerecorded previous releases (placing updated instrumentals alongside Reeves' original vocals) to produce a regular series of "new" albums after her husband's death. She also operated The Jim Reeves Museum in Nashville, Tennessee from the early 1980s until 1996.

Indeed, Jim scored a major success when, in 1966, his record "Distant Drums" went to number one in the British singles chart and remained in pole position for a remarkable five weeks - beating off stiff competition from such acts as The Beatles with "Yellow Submarine" and "Eleanor Rigby" (a double-sided "A" release) and the Small Faces' "All Or Nothing". In addition, "Distant Drums" also held off many other songs from living artists who were in the UK charts at that time. In all, "Distant Drums" remained in the UK charts for a staggering forty-five weeks as well as topping the US country music charts. Not bad going for a song which had only been recorded by Jim for its composer Cindy Walker under the impression it was for her personal use only and had been deemed "unsuitable" for general release by Chet Atkins and the RCA record company. "Distant Drums" was named 'Song of the Year' in the UK in 1966 and Jim had the distinction of being the first American artist to receive that particular accolade.

Although he no longer features in the singles charts, Jim Reeves compilation albums containing well-known standards continue to sell well. "The Definitive Collection" reached #21 in the UK album charts in July 2003 and "Memories are made of this" #35 in July 2004. Bear Family Records in Germany and some smaller outlets in USA continue to release "new" and rare material on a fairly regular basis. Reeves fans have urged BMG to re-release some of the songs overdubbed in the years after Jim's death which have never appeared on CD.

He was elected posthumously to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967, and in 1998 he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in Carthage, Texas, where the Jim Reeves Memorial is located.

Reeves' inscription at the Country Music Hall of Fame reads -

"The velvet style of 'Gentleman Jim Reeves' was an international influence. His rich voice bought millions of new fans to country music from every corner of the world.

Although the crash of his private airplane took his life, posterity will keep his name alive because they will remember him as one of country music's most important performers."

The inscription on the Jim Reeves Memorial has:

"If I, a lowly singer, dry one tear, or soothe one humble human heart in pain, then my homely verse to God is dear, and not one stanza has been sung in vain."

[edit] International success

[edit] South Africa

In the early 1960s, Reeves was more popular than Elvis Presley in South Africa. During this period, he recorded several albums in Afrikaans. In 1963 he starred in a South African film, Kimberley Jim, which was the biggest South African production up to that date. The film's working title was "Strike It Rich" and was released with a special prologue and epilogue in South African cinemas after Reeves' passing, praising Reeves as a true friend of South Africa. The film was produced, directed and written by Emil Nofal.

Reeves is particularly popular amongst the Zulu population in South Africa and is known amongst this community by the monikers "King Jim" and (because of his 6'1" frame) "Big Jim".

[edit] Norway

Jim Reeves was very big in Norway throughout the 1960s. His first hit in Norway was "He'll Have to Go" which reached #1 in the Top 10 and stayed in the list for 29 weeks. "I Love You Because", though, was his biggest hit here. It reached #1 in 1964 and stayed in the list for 39 weeks.

Reeves visited Njårdhallen, Oslo on April 16, 1964, along with Bobby Bare, Chet Atkins, The Blue Boys and The Anita Kerr Singers. They held two successful concerts. The last concert was filmed and televised by the Norwegian broadcasting network (NRK - Norsk Rikskringkasting). They ran out of tape so the complete concert was not recorded in its entirety and included, unfortunately, some of the last songs of Jim's segment of the show. There are reports that he performed his hit song "You're the Only Good Thing (That's Happened To Me)" in this section of the concert. The show has been re-run many times over the years.

In total Reeves had 696 weeks in the Norwegian Top 20 album chart, by far making him one of the most beloved and popular artists in the history of Norway.

[edit] India and Sri Lanka

Jim Reeves has a huge fan following in both India and Sri Lanka. Walk around Christian houses in either nation during Christmas season and you are certain to hear Jim's carols. Young and old, Jim has captured them all since the 1960s. Walk into any music store and you will find Jim's CDs or audio cassettes readily available even in 2007. Two of Reeves' songs, "There's a Heartache Following Me" and "Welcome to My World," were favorite songs of Indian guru Meher Baba, leading Baba follower Pete Townshend of The Who to record his own version of "There's a Heartache Following Me" on his first major solo album Who Came First in 1972.

Also, Robert Svoboda in his trilogy on aghora and the Aghori Vimalananda, mentions that Vimalananda, considered Jim Reeves a gandharva, ie. in Indian tradition, a heavenly musician, who had taken birth on earth. Jim's songs were precious to Vimalananda, and he had Svoboda play "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" of Jim Reeves, at his cremation.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Selected hit singles

Year Single Album U.S. Country U.S. Pop UK Norway Top 10
1953 "Mexican Joe" Bimbo 1 23 - -
1954 "Bimbo" Bimbo 1 26 - -
1954 "I Love You" (with Ginny Wright) single only 3 - - -
1955 "Drinking Tequila" Bimbo 9 - - -
1955 "Penny Candy" Bimbo 5 - - -
1956 "According to My Heart" According to My Heart 4 - - -
1956 "My Lips Are Sealed" Country Side 8 - - -
1956 "The Mother of a Honky Tonk Girl" Jim Reeves and Some Friends 4 - - -
1957 "Am I Losing You?" - 3 - - -
1957 "Four Walls" The Best 1 11 - -
1957 "Two Shadows On Your Window" Up Through the Years 9 - - -
1957 "Waitin' For a Train" Country Side 3 - - -
1957 "Young Hearts" Up Through the Years 12 - - -
1958 "Anna Marie" Girls I Have Known 3 93 - -
1958 "Blue Boy" The Best 2 45 - -
1958 "Billy Bayou" He'll Have to Go 1 95 - -
1959 "Home" He'll Have to Go 2 - - -
1959 "Partners" He'll Have to Go 5 - - -
1960 "Am I Losing You?" The Best 8 31 - -
1960 "He'll Have to Go" He'll Have to Go 1 2 12 1
1960 "I Know One" Up Through the Years 6 82 - -
1960 "I Missed Me" Distant Drums 3 44 - -
1960 "I'm Gettin' Better" The Intimate 3 37 - -
1961 "Stand At Your Window" The Best 16 - - -
1961 "What Would You Do?" The Best 15 - - -
1961 "The Blizzard" Tall Tales and Short Tempers 4 62 - -
1962 "Adios Amigo" The Best 2 90 - 2
1962 "I'm Gonna Change Everything" Have I Told You Lately 2 95 - -
1962 "Losing Your Love" Distant Drums 2 89 - -
1962 "Pride Goes Before a Fall" Up Through the Years 18 - - -
1962 "You're the Only Good Thing (That's Happened to Me)" The Intimate - - 17 2
1963 "Guilty" International 3 91 - -
1963 "Is This Me?" The Best 2 3 - - -
1964 "I Guess I'm Crazy" The Best 2 1 82 - 2
1964 "Not Until the Next Time" Distant Drums - - 13 6
1964 "Love Is No Excuse" (with Dottie West) Jim Reeves and Some Friends 7 - - -
1964 "Welcome to My World" A Touch of Velvet 2 - 6 3
1964 "I Love You Because" Gentleman Jim - - 5 1
1964 "There's a Heartache Following Me" Good 'N' Country - - 6 3
1965 "I Won't Forget You" The Country Side 3 - 3 1
1965 "Is It Really Over?" Distant Drums 1 79 - -
1965 "This Is It" Distant Drums 1 88 - 9
1965 "Rosa Rio" Moonlight and Roses - - - 3
1965 "It Hurts So Much (To See You Go)" The Jim Reeves Way - - 8 4
1965 "How Long Has It Been" God Be With You - - - 9
1966 "Blue Side of Lonesome" The Blue Side of Lonesome 1 59 - -
1966 "Snowflake" Distant Drums 2 66 - 2
1966 "Distant Drums" Distant Drums 1 45 1 2
1967 "I Won't Come In While He's There" The Blue Side of Lonesome 1 - 12 7
1967 "The Storm" The Best of Jim Reeves 16 - - -
1968 "I Heard a Heart Break Last Night" The Best of Jim Reeves 9 - - -
1968 "When You Are Gone" A Touch of Sadness 7 - - -
1969 "When Two Worlds Collide" Jim Reeves Writes You a Record 6 - 17 -
1970 "Angels Don't Lie" Jim Reeves Writes You a Record 4 - - -
1970 "Nobody's Fool" Jim Reeves Writes You a Record 10 - - -
1971 "Gypsy Feet" My Friend 16 - - -
1972 "Missing You" Missing You 8 - - -
1972 "The Writing's On the Wall" My Friend 15 - - -
1973 "Am I That Easy to Forget?" Am I That Easy To Forget 12 - - -
1974 "I'd Fight the World" I'd Fight the World 19 - - -
1977 "It's Nothin' To Me" It's Nothin' To Me 14 - - -
1977 "Little Ole Dime" Nashville '78 23 - - -
1978 "You're The Only Good Thing (That's Happened To Me)" Nashville '78 29 - - -
1979 "Don't Let Me Cross Over" (with Deborah Allen) Don't Let Me Cross Over 10 - - -
1980 "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight" (with Deborah Allen) Don't Let Me Cross Over 6 - - -
1980 "Take Me In Your Arms and Hold Me" (with Deborah Allen) Don't Let Me Cross Over 10 - - -
1981 "There's Always Me" There's Always Me 35 - - -
1982 "Have You Ever Been Lonely?" (with Patsy Cline) Greatest Hits 5 - - -
1982 "I Fall to Pieces" (with Patsy Cline) I Fall to Pieces 54 - - -
1983 "The Jim Reeves Medley" (medley of several Jim Reeves hits) single only 46 - - -
1984 "The Image Of Me" single only 70 - - -

[edit] Selected albums

Year Album U.S. Country U.S. Pop Norway Top 20
195? Jim Reeves Sings - - -
1956 Singing Down The Lane - - -
1956 Bimbo - - -
1957 Jim Reeves - - -
1958 Girls I Have Known - - 20
1958 God Be With You - - 4
1959 Songs to Warm the Heart - - 18
1960 According to My Heart - - 16
1960 The Intimate - - 10
1960 He'll Have to Go - 18 15
1961 Tall Tales and Short Tempers - - -
1961 Talkin' to Your Heart - - -
1962 Country Side - - 8
1962 A Touch of Velvet - 97 8
1962 We Thank Thee - - 12
1963 Gentleman Jim - - 2
1963 International - - 5
1963 Good 'n' Country 13 - 7
1963 Twelve Songs of Christmas - 15 3
1964 Kimberley Jim - - 11
1964 Moonlight and Roses 1 30 2
1964 The Best 1 9 1
1964 Have I Told You Lately 5 - 8
1965 The Jim Reeves Way 2 45 5
1965 Up Through the Years 1 - 10
1965 The Best 2 4 100 7
1966 Distant Drums 1 21 2
1966 Yours Sincerely 3 - 15
1967 Blue Side of Lonesome 3 185 15
1969 Jim Reeves and Some Friends 18 - -
1969 The Best 3 12 - -
1971 Jim Reeves Writes You a Record 34 - -
1971 Something Special 13 - -
1973 Am I That Easy to Forget? 11 - -
1974 I'd Fight the World 13 - -
1975 Songs of Love 34 - -
1979 The Best 4 - - -
1979 Don't Let Me Cross Over 23 - -
1980 There's Always Me 56 - -
1981 Greatest Hits (with Patsy Cline) 8 - -
1985 Collector's Series - - -
1995 The Essential Jim Reeves - - -
1997 Golden Memories - - -
1998 All Time Gospel Favorites - - -
1999 Super Hits - - -
1999 Radio Days - - -

[edit] References

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)
  • All Music Guide
  • Discography for Jim Reeves at 'LP Discography - Covers & Lyrics' (US charted singles and albums)
  • "Store Rock- Og Pop- Leksikon" ("Big Rock and Pop Encyclopedia") by Jon Vidar Bergan, Kunnskapsforlaget, Oslo, 2006 (UK charted singles)
  • "Den Store Norske Hitboka" ("The Big Norwegian Hit Book") by Tore Gilde, Exlex Forlag A/S, Oslo, 1994 (Norway charted singles and albums)
  • Rumble, John. (1998) "Jim Reeves". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 435-6.

[edit] External links