Jimmy Hughes (singer)
Jimmy Hughes | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Jimmy J. Hughes |
Born | Temecula, California, United States | February 3, 1938
Genres | Rhythm and blues |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, artist |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | 1962–1970 |
Labels | Guyden, Vee-Jay, Atlantic, Stax |
Jimmy J. Hughes (born February 3, 1938)[1] is an American former rhythm and blues singer, whose biggest successes in the mid-1960s, notably his hit "Steal Away", were important in the early development of the Muscle Shoals music industry.
Life and career
Hughes, a cousin of
Early in 1964, he returned to Hall with a powerful ballad he had written, "Steal Away", partly based on the gospel song "
Hughes' next few singles were unsuccessful, as Vee-Jay Records diverted their attention to The Beatles and The Four Seasons, and then folded. However, in 1966, after the success of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman", Hall negotiated a new deal for his label to be distributed by Atlantic Records. Hughes returned to the charts with "Neighbor, Neighbor" (# 65 pop, # 4 R&B), "I Worship the Ground You Walk On" (# 25 R&B), and "Why Not Tonight" (# 90 pop, # 5 R&B), before moving to the Atlantic label itself with "It Ain't What You Got" (# 43 R&B, 1968).[5][6]
Early in 1968, Hughes moved to Stax Records, where his recordings were issued on the subsidiary Volt label. His first record for the label, "I Like Everything About You", reached # 21 on the R&B chart, but later records were less successful. At the time, Stax was undergoing a major reorganisation with new management and new artists. Although his records, including a 1969 album Something Special, were produced by label boss Al Bell, Hughes later stated that he felt like the "low man on the totem pole" at the label, and became frustrated by what he saw as a lack of promotion.[3] He also tired of touring and being away from his family, and in 1970 gave up recording and performing.[4] He retrained, and got a government job making parts for nuclear power plants in the Tennessee River Valley, in later years only singing as a member of the congregation of his local church in Leighton.[2][4]
Several compilation albums of Hughes' recordings have been issued in recent years.
Discography
Singles (chart hits only)
Year | Title | Label & Cat. No. | U.S. Pop[7] | U.S. R&B[6] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1964 | "Steal Away" | Fame 6401 | 17
|
n/a[8]
|
1964 | "Try Me" | Fame 6403 | 65
|
n/a[8]
|
1966 | "Neighbor, Neighbor" | Fame 1003 | 65
|
4
|
1966 | "I Worship The Ground You Walk On" | Fame 1006 | -
|
25
|
1967 | "Why Not Tonight" | Fame 1011 | 90
|
5
|
1968 | "It Ain't What You Got" | Atlantic 2454 | -
|
43
|
1968 | "I Like Everything About You" | Volt 4002 | -
|
21
|
Albums
- Steal Away (Vee-Jay, 1965)[9]
- Why Not Tonight? (Atco, 1967)
- Something Special (Volt, 1969)
References
- ISBN 978-0313344237. Other sources give an apparently incorrect birth year of 1935, and Allmusic states incorrectly that he died in 1997.
- ^ a b c d e f "Fame Records to reissue Jimmy Hughes collection | SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews". SoulTracks.com. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ a b c d "the "B" side: Jimmy Hughes - You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy (You Really Know How To Make Him Cry) (Fame 6410)". Redkelly.blogspot.com. 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ a b c d "Frost Illustrated: Legendary Jimmy Hughes' work on FAME revisited". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ^ Bill Dahl (1997-01-04). "Jimmy Hughes | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 201.
- ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ a b Billboard did not publish an R&B chart during this period.
- ^ "Jimmy Hughes Discography". Melingo.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2016-08-02.