Charles Singleton (songwriter)
Charlie "Hoss" Singleton | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Charles Fowler Singleton, Jr. |
Born | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | September 17, 1913
Died | December 12, 1985 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | (aged 72)
Genres | Pop music |
Occupation(s) | Songwriter |
Years active | 1950s – 1980s |
Charles Fowler Singleton Jr. (September 17, 1913 – December 12, 1985),[1] known as Charlie "Hoss" Singleton, was an American songwriter, best known for having co-written the lyrics for "Strangers in the Night" and "Moon Over Naples" (later covered as "Spanish Eyes").[2][3]
Singleton wrote or co-wrote over a thousand songs. "Strangers in the Night" reached number-one on the Billboard charts for Frank Sinatra, and the Elvis Presley version of "Spanish Eyes" had sales of over three million copies.[2]
Biography
Charles Singleton attended several schools in and around Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated in 1935 from Stanton High School. He was always interested in singing and dancing, and by the time he left school he had become a proficient songwriter. He also produced shows and was responsible for several musical extravaganzas, including April Frolics, which was staged at a nightspot in LaVilla in Jacksonville. Singleton continued to work in Jacksonville into the 1940s.[2]
In the early 1950s Singleton moved to New York City and presented his lyrics to
Singleton went on to write songs for a number of notable artists, including
"Strangers in the Night" began as an instrumental called "Beddy Bye", by German bandleader and composer Bert Kaempfert, which appeared on the soundtrack of the film A Man Could Get Killed. When Frank Sinatra's producer Jimmy Bowen heard the tune, he asked Kaempfert to turn it into a song, and Kaempfert approached Singleton and American composer and songwriter Eddie Snyder for help. Singleton wrote the lyrics and Snyder adapted the music for what became "Strangers in the Night".[8] Sinatra initially called the song "a piece of shit" after the first take had to be discarded because session guitarist Glen Campbell had made a mistake.[8] But Sinatra changed his mind during the second take when he began adlibbing "dooby-dooby-doo".[8] "Strangers in the Night" reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in 1966,[9] and rejuvenated Sinatra's career.[2]
Singleton and Snyder had also reworked another Kaempfert instrumental called "Moon Over Naples" into the song "Spanish Eyes", which was successfully recorded by Elvis Presley, Al Martino, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, Julio Iglesias, Faith No More, and others.[2][3][8]
Singleton, who also produced several
In some sources, Singleton seems to be confused with another musician called Charlie Singleton, a saxophonist born in Kansas City around 1930, who recorded jump blues in New York from around 1950.[1][10]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Charlie "Hoss" Singleton". Jacksonville Historical Society. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Charlie Singleton". AllMusic. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ a b Songs written by Charles Singleton, MusicVf.com. Retrieved November 8, 2016
- ^ See Talk:Tryin' to Get to You on identification of Singleton as co-writer of this song.
- ^ "Don't Call The Wagon (Cause Nothin's Wrong With Me)", 45cat.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016
- ^ "Charlie "Hoss" Singleton Combo – The Big Twist Hits", MusicVf.com. Retrieved November 8, 2016
- ^ a b c d Perrone, Pierre (April 6, 2011). "Eddie Snyder". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ "Strangers in the Night – Frank Sinatra". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ^ "Charlie "Hoss" Singleton", rocknroll-schallplatten-forum.de. Retrieved November 8, 2016