Claude King
Claude King | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | February 5, 1923 |
Origin | Keithville, Caddo Parish Louisiana, U.S. |
Died | March 7, 2013 Shreveport, Louisiana | (aged 90)
Genres | Country |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | 1961–2013 |
Labels | Columbia Records Specialty Records |
Claude King (February 5, 1923 – March 7, 2013) was an American
Biography
King was born in
From 1942 to 1945, he served in the United States Navy during World War II.[2]
Music career
King formed a band with his friends Buddy Attaway and
King recorded a few songs for Gotham Records though none were successful. In 1961, he became more serious about a musical career and signed with the Nashville division of Columbia Records. He struck immediately, cutting "Big River, Big Man," both a country top 10 and a small pop crossover success. He soon followed with "The Comancheros" inspired by the John Wayne film of the same name It was a top 10 country hit in late 1961 and crossed over into the popular chart.
King released his best-known recording in the spring of 1962. "Wolverton Mountain," written with Nashville veteran
King followed up with a song about the 1864 battle of Atlanta in the Civil War. "The Burning Of Atlanta"[4] also reached the Top 10 on the country chart and made the pop chart. In late 1962, King recorded "I've Got The World By The Tail," which narrowly missed the country Top 10.
In 1963, King scored three country hits with "Sheepskin Valley," "Building a Bridge," and "Hey Lucille!" The hits continued in 1964 with "Sam Hill," and in 1965 he was back in the Top 10 with "Tiger Woman," co-written with Merle Kilgore. King did well that year with "Little Buddy." His smooth style continued to find favor throughout the decade, especially songs like "Catch a Little Raindrop" and the Top 10 hit, "All for the Love of A Girl" in 1969. His singles continued to make the country charts through 1972. He left the label in 1973 after twenty-nine hits.
In 1977, King recorded in some sessions for producer
Besides a career in recording and touring, King performed as an actor in several movies. Along with his great-nephew, Chris Aable, King is among the few actors who are members in both the Screen Actors Guild and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. King had roles in several feature films, including 1971's Swamp Girl and 1972's Year of the Yahoo!.
In 1981,
On June 3, 2003, King released a CD called Cowboy in the White House, co-produced with Robin Vosbury and Tillman Franks and released by Sun Records. Elvis Presley's guitarist, James Burton, also performs on the album.
On February 11, 2007, King was inducted into the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce Walk of Stars. He joined other celebrities with strong ties to the Greater Shreveport area in this honor, including Terry Bradshaw, Kix Brooks, Johnnie Cochran, Tom Jarriel, Joe Ferguson, Eddie Robinson, Hal Sutton, and David Toms, as well as his musical colleagues, James Burton, Jim Reeves, Faron Young, Jimmie Davis, Chris Aable, Elvis Presley, and Tillman Franks.
King was a part of the "Magic Circle", which was a description of the ArkLaTex area coined by his longtime friend Tillman Franks, described as: "an area 50 miles in radius from downtown Shreveport. All kinds of music evolved from this Magic Circle.”
In 2011, King was named one of "Five Living Legends of Shreveport" by Danny Fox (1954–2014) of
Death
King died suddenly at his home in Shreveport on March 7, 2013, at the age of ninety. He is survived by his wife, the former Barbara Coco, with whom he had celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary a month prior to his death. Together they had three sons.[8]
Services were held on March 13, 2013, at the Centuries Funeral Home Chapel in Shreveport, with the Reverend William D. "Billy" Franks and the Reverend Tim Maloy officiating. Interment followed at Centuries Memorial Park.[2] Franks (born 1925) is the younger brother of Tillman Franks and the retired founding pastor of the Oakmont Church of God in the Cedar Grove section of Shreveport.[9] He also preached at the funeral of Johnny Horton in November 1960.
Discography
Albums
Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US Country | US | |||
1962 | Meet Claude King | — | 80 | Columbia |
1965 | Tiger Woman | — | — | |
1968 | The Best of Claude King | — | — | |
1969 | I Remember Johnny Horton | 24 | — | |
1970 | Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife | — | — | |
1971 | Chip 'N' Dale's Place | 45 | — |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Country | US Cash Box Country | US | CAN Country | |||
1961 | "Big River, Big Man" | 7 | 9 | 82 | — | Meet Claude King |
"The Comancheros" | 7 | 6 | 71 | — | ||
1962 | "Wolverton Mountain /"A | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | |
"Little Bitty Heart" | — | 41 | — | — | ||
"The Burning of Atlanta" | 10 | 9 | 53 | — | singles only | |
1963 | "I've Got the World by the Tail" | 11 | 11 | 111 | — | |
"Sheepskin Valley" | 12 | 17 | — | — | ||
"Building a Bridge" | 12 | 41 | — | — | ||
"Hey Lucille! /" | 13 | 13 | — | — | ||
"Scarlet O'Hara" | — | 34 | — | — | ||
1964 | "That's What Makes the World Go Around" | 33 | 28 | — | — | |
"Sam Hill" | 11 | 12 | — | 2 | ||
1965 | "Whirlpool (Of Your Love)" | 47 | 31 | — | — | |
"Tiger Woman" | 6 | 5 | 110 | — | Tiger Woman | |
1966 | "Little Buddy" | 17 | 15 | — | — | |
"Catch a Little Raindrop" | 13 | 12 | — | — | ||
"The Juggler" | — | 34 | — | — | singles only | |
"Little Things That Every Girl Should Know" | 50 | 44 | — | — | ||
1967 | "The Watchman" | 32 | 34 | — | — | |
"Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" | 50 | 44 | — | — | ||
"Yellow Haired Woman" | 59 | 40 | — | — | ||
1968 | "Parchman Farm Blues" | 67 | — | — | — | |
"The Power of Your Sweet Love" | 48 | — | — | — | ||
1969 | "Sweet Love On My Mind" | 52 | 43 | — | — | Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife |
"All for the Love of a Girl" | 9 | 8 | — | — | ||
"Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife" | 18 | 50 | — | 14 | ||
1970 | "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" | 33 | 24 | — | 39 | Chip 'N' Dale's Place |
"Mary's Vineyard" | 17 | 23 | — | 13 | ||
1971 | "Chip 'N' Dale's Place" | 23 | 8 | — | 7 | |
"When You're Twenty-One" | 54 | — | — | — | singles only | |
1972 | "Darlin' Raise the Shade (Let the Sun Shine In)" | 57 | 46 | — | 32 | |
"The Lady Of Our Town" | — | 73 | — | — | ||
"He Ain't Country" | 48 | 45 | — | — | ||
1977 | "Cotton Dan" | 94 | — | — | — |
- A"Wolverton Mountain" peaked at No. 3 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.
References
- Allmusic. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ Shreveport Times. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ "The Burning of Atlanta". pandora.com. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ^ Praguefrank Sunday, May 17, 2009 Claude King
- The Shreveport Times. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ "Living Legends of Shreveport – Danny Fox's Top 5". KWKH. July 28, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ "Country singer-songwriter Claude King dies at 90". Yahoo News. March 7, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ "Lottie Mae Hood Franks (1928–2005)". findagrave.com. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
External links
- Website
- Claude King at IMDb
- CMT
- Discography