| Dickey Lee | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Royden Dickey Lipscomb |
| Born | September 21, 1936 |
| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1957-present |
| Labels | Tampa Records, Sun Records, Smash Records, TCF Hall Records, RCA Victor Records, Mercury Records |
Royden Dickey Lipscomb[1] (born 21 September 1936, Memphis, Tennessee), known professionally as Dickey Lee (sometimes misspelled Dickie Lee or Dicky Lee), is an American pop/country singer and songwriter, best known for the 1960s teenage tragedy songs "Patches" and "Laurie (Strange Things Happen)."
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Lee made his first recordings in his hometown of Memphis for Tampa Records and Sun Records in 1957-58. He achieved his first chart success in 1962, when his composition "She Thinks I Still Care" was a hit for George Jones (covered by Elvis Presley, Connie Francis and later Anne Murray as "He Thinks I Still Care"). Later that year, "Patches," written by Barry Mann and Larry Kobler and recorded by Lee for Smash Records, rose to #6. The song tells in waltz-time the story of teenage lovers of different social classes whose parents forbid their love. The girl drowns herself in the "dirty old river." The singer concludes: "It may not be right, but I'll join you tonight/ Patches I'm coming to you." Because of the teen suicide theme, the song was banned by a number of radio stations. However, it sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[2]
Lee had a #14 hit in 1963 with a song he co-wrote, a conventional rocker, "I Saw Linda Yesterday." The song has a strong resemblance to Dion DiMucci's #1 pop hit, "Runaround Sue," released two years earlier. In 1965, he returned to teen tragedy with "Laurie (Strange Things Happen)," a song related to the urban legends known as the vanishing hitchhiker and Resurrection Mary.
After the 1960s, Lee devoted his efforts to country music performing and songwriting. His 1970s country hits as a singer include "Never Ending Song of Love," "Rocky" (another bitter-sweet song, written by Jay Stevens of Springfield, MO - a.k.a. Woody P. Snow), "Angels, Roses, and Rain," and "9,999,999 Tears." He also wrote with Bob McDill the song "Someone Like You" which Emmylou Harris included in her album Profile II.
He co-wrote the 1994 Tracy Byrd hit "The Keeper of the Stars," and has written or co-written songs for a number of other prominent country artists, including George Strait, Charley Pride, and Reba McEntire.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995. Lee is included as co-writer and singer on singer-songwriter Michael Saxell's 2005 album Wonky Windmill on the song "Two Men".
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1962 | The Tale of Patches | — | 50 | Smash |
| 1965 | Laurie and the Girl from Peyton Place | — | — | TCF Hall |
| 1971 | Never Ending Song of Love | 12 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1972 | Ashes of Love | 16 | — | |
| Baby, Bye Bye | — | — | ||
| 1973 | Crying Over You | 42 | — | |
| Sparklin' Brown Eyes | — | — | ||
| 1975 | Rocky | 8 | — | |
| 1976 | Angels, Roses and Rain | 27 | — | |
| 1979 | Dickey Lee | — | — | Mercury |
| 1980 | Again | — | — | |
| 1981 | Everybody Loves a Winner | — | — | |
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | CAN | |||
| 1962 | "Patches"
"More Or Less" |
— | 6 | — | — | The Tale of Patches |
| 1963 | "I Saw Linda Yesterday" | — | 14 | — | — | singles only |
| "Don't Wanna Think About Paula" | — | 68 | — | — | ||
| "I Go Lonely" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Day the Sawmill Closed Down" | — | 104 | — | — | ||
| 1964 | "To the Aisle" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Me and My Teardrops" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Big Brother"
"She's Walking Away" |
— | 101 | — | — | ||
| 1965 | "Laurie (Strange Things Happen)" | — | 14 | — | 6 | Laurie And The Girl From Peyton Place |
| "Girl from Peyton Place" | — | 73 | — | 23 | ||
| 1966 | "Good Girl Goin' Bad" | — | — | — | — | singles only |
| "Good Guy" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | "Red, Green, Yellow and Blue" | — | 107 | — | — | |
| 1970 | "All Too Soon" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Special" | — | — | — | — | Never Ending Song of Love | |
| 1971 | "The Mahogany Pulpit" | 55 | — | — | — | |
| "Never Ending Song of Love" | 8 | — | 31 | — | ||
| 1972 | "I Saw My Lady" | 25 | — | — | — | Ashes of Love |
| "Ashes of Love" | 15 | — | — | — | ||
| "Baby, Bye Bye" | 31 | — | 15 | — | Baby, Bye Bye | |
| 1973 | "Crying Over You" | 43 | — | — | — | Crying Over You |
| "Put Me Down Softly" | 30 | — | — | — | Sparklin' Brown Eyes | |
| "Sparklin' Brown Eyes" | 49 | — | — | — | ||
| 1974 | "I Use the Soap" | 46 | — | — | — | Rocky |
| "Give Me One Good Reason" | 90 | — | — | — | ||
| "The Busiest Memory in Town" | 22 | — | 15 | — | ||
| 1975 | "Door Is Always Open" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Rocky" | 1 | — | 9 | — | ||
| 1976 | "Angels, Roses and Rain" | 9 | — | 1 | — | Angels, Roses and Rain |
| "Makin' Love Don't Always Make Love Grow" | 35 | — | — | — | ||
| "9,999,999 Tears" | 3 | 52 | 3 | 85 | ||
| 1977 | "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" | 20 | — | 17 | — | singles only |
| "Virginia, How Far Will You Go" | 22 | — | 12 | — | ||
| "Peanut Butter" | 21 | — | 39 | — | ||
| 1978 | "Love Is a Word" | 27 | — | — | — | |
| "My Heart Won't Cry Anymore" | 49 | — | — | — | ||
| "It's Not Easy" | 58 | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "I'm Just a Heartache Away" | 58 | — | — | — | Dickey Lee |
| "He's an Old Rock 'N' Roller" | 94 | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Don't Look Back" | 61 | — | — | — | |
| "Workin' My Way to Your Heart" | 30 | — | — | — | Again | |
| "Lost in Love" (w/ Kathy Burdick) | 30 | — | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Honky Tonk Hearts" | 37 | — | — | — | Everybody Loves a Winner |
| "I Wonder If I Care as Much" | 53 | — | — | — | ||
| 1982 | "Everybody Loves a Winner" | 56 | — | — | — | |