Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues

"Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" is a song written and performed by Danny O'Keefe.

It was first recorded by O'Keefe in 1967, but not released. It was recorded by The Bards and released in 1968 as the b-side to the song "Tunesmith" on Parrot Records. The Bards were a band from Moses Lake, Washington.^[1] The song was recorded by O'Keefe for his self-titled debut album in 1971.^[2] The following year he re-recorded it (with a slower, more downbeat arrangement) for his second album, O'Keefe.^[3] The second version was issued as a single, reaching #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, #5 on the adult contemporary chart, and #63 on the country chart.^[4] The song was also covered by Mel Tormé, especially for a 1986 episode of NBC's Night Court entitled "Leon, We Hardly Knew Ye".

It was covered by numerous artists. A cover by Leon Russell peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1984.^[5]

Selected list of recorded versions

• The Bards (1968) on Parrot Records
• Danny O'Keefe (1971), on the album Danny O'Keefe
• Dwight Yoakam
• Willie Nelson
• Waylon Jennings
• Mike Farris
• Elvis Presley
• Leon Russell
• Chris Hillman
• Earl Klugh
• Rita Wilson
• Charlie Rich (1980), on the album Once a Drifter
• Jerry Lee Lewis and Leon Russell^[6]
• Holly Cole, from the album Night (2012)
• Harry Manx (2008), from the album Live at the Glenn Gould Studio
• Mel Tormé, (1986), for a Night Court episode entitled "Leon, We Hardly Knew Ye".

References