Ricky Van Shelton
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Ricky Van Shelton | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 12, 1952 Audium |
Ricky Van Shelton (born January 12, 1952)
Early life
He was born at Danville Regional Medical Center in Danville, Virginia, United States, to Jenks and Eloise Shelton in 1952,[2] but was raised in Grit, Virginia,[3] and went to High school in Gretna, Virginia. Although "Van" is a common portion of surnames derived from people of Dutch origin, "Van" in this case is Shelton's middle name.
Shelton's father sang gospel music while he was still a child, and from this Shelton also sang gospel, but he also liked pop music. He was soon in church, singing gospel. When he was a teenager, however, Shelton discovered country music.[4] He soon started singing in his brother's band, singing country music, and performed at any local gathering he could.
Musical career
Move to Nashville
After he graduated from high school, Shelton started performing in area clubs and also worked a series of jobs. In 1984, Bettye Witt, his girlfriend at the time (and, since August 4, 1986, wife) found a job in Nashville, Tennessee, and Shelton went along with her.[4] In Nashville, Shelton tried to land a deal with a recording contract, and worked in area nightclubs. In 1986, Jerry Thompson, a newspaper columnist, heard one of Shelton's demos, and arranged an audition with Columbia Records.[4] Soon thereafter, Shelton was offered a recording contract with CBS, with Jerry Thompson serving as his manager. In that same year, he recorded his first album, Wild-Eyed Dream.[4] The title track was released as a single, and reached No. 24 on the Country charts.[5]
1986–1988: Wild-Eyed Dream
His album reached the No. 1 spot on the Top Country Albums chart in 1987, was one of the biggest-selling Country albums of the year, and it made Shelton one of the most successful male vocalists of that year.
1988–1989: Loving Proof
He achieved equal success the next year with a new album and a new single. The album was titled Loving Proof, and it too was a No. 1 Billboard Country album. The album spawned three No. 1 hits for Shelton. These songs were, "I'll Leave This World Loving You" (for two weeks in November 1988), "From a Jack to a King" (in March 1989), and "Living Proof" (in October 1989).[4] "From a Jack to a King" was a remake of the original by Ned Miller.[4] By this time in country music, Neo-Traditionalism was in its peak, and because of this, so was Shelton's career, just like so many of his counterparts, like Clint Black, George Strait, Randy Travis, and Dwight Yoakam.
1989–1991: RVS III, Christmas album and children's books
His albums continued to win him praise and keep him high on the charts. His third album was no different. Titled
Around the same time, Shelton wrote a series of children's books. The first two titles of his books were, Tales From a Duck Named Quacker and Quacker Meets Mrs. Moo.[4] The series also contains "Quacker Meets Canadian Goose" and were all illustrated by Shan Williams Burklow.
1991–1992: Backroads
Shelton continued his success as the decade began to progress. The next year, 1991, proved another successful year for Shelton. He duetted on the song, "
1992–1993: Greatest Hits Plus, Don't Overlook Salvation and alcoholism
By 1992, Shelton's success on the country charts was tapering off and, like many others in the industry, he was swept out of popularity by the changes in country music that arrived in the early 1990s. He enjoyed one last Top 10 hit (which actually reached number 5) titled "Wild Man", which was put on his newest album, called Greatest Hits Plus. Another single, "Just as I Am", was featured on his Greatest Hits album, but it only made the Top 30 that year. He also released a gospel music album titled Don't Overlook Salvation.[4]
In 1992, Shelton admitted that he suffered from alcoholism and sought help to recover his sobriety.
1993–1994: Love and Honor and departure from Columbia
By 1993, it was clear that Shelton was winding farther and farther away from the top ten on the Country charts. In 1994, he had his last top 40 hit with "Where Was I". After 1994's
After being under Columbia Records, Shelton was absent from the Country chart for a long period of time. However, Columbia continued to release Greatest Hits collections to the public. Shelton continued to work on other projects during this time, which did not mean giving up performing.
1997–1999: Making Plans and label formation
In 1997, Shelton formed his own label, titled RVS Records. That same year, he released his first album in three years, titled
2000–2001: Fried Green Tomatoes
In 2000, Shelton signed with the Audium label, where he made another album called Fried Green Tomatoes,[4] which spawned his first single in over five years called "The Decision", but it failed to make a substantial impact on the Country chart.[5]
2006–present: Retirement
In May 2006, Shelton announced that he would be retiring from touring to spend more time with his family.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Wild-Eyed Dream (1987)
- Loving Proof (1988)
- RVS III (1990)
- Backroads(1991)
- Don't Overlook Salvation (1992)
- A Bridge I Didn't Burn (1993)
- Love and Honor (1994)
- Making Plans (1998)
- Fried Green Tomatoes (2000)
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
1992
|
"Rockin' Years"[A] | Best Country Collaboration with Vocals | Nominated |
American Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Wild-Eyed Dream | Favorite Country Album | Nominated |
| 1992 | Ricky Van Shelton | Favorite Country Male Artist | Nominated |
Music City News Country Awards & TNN/Music City News Country Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Somebody Lied" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Star of Tomorrow | Won | |
| Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1989 | Won | ||
| "I'll Leave This World Loving You" | Single of the Year | Won | |
| Video of the Year | Won | ||
| Loving Proof | Album of the Year | Won | |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1990 | "Living Proof" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Male Artist of the Year | Won | |
| Entertainer of the Year | Won | ||
| 1991 | "I Meant Every Word He Said" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
| RVS III | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Male Artist of the Year | Won | |
| Entertainer of the Year | Won | ||
| 1992 | "Keep It Between the Lines" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| "Rockin' Years"[A] | Video of the Year | Won | |
| Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Shelton | Vocal Collaboration of the Year | Won | |
| Backroads | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1993 | Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1994 | Nominated | ||
| "A Couple of Good Years Left" | Video of the Year | Nominated | |
| A Bridge I Didn't Burn | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Love and Honor | Nominated | |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Christian Country Artist of the Year | Won | |
| Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1996 | Christian Country Artist of the Year | Won | |
| Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1997 | Christian Country Artist of the Year | Won | |
| 1998 | Making Plans | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Male Artist of the Year | Nominated |
Academy of Country Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Ricky Van Shelton | Top New Male Vocalist | Won |
| "Somebody Lied" | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| Single Record of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1989 | "I'll Leave This World Loving You" | Nominated | |
| Loving Proof | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Top Male Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1990 | Nominated | ||
| 1991 | Nominated | ||
| RVS III | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1992 | Backroads | Nominated | |
| Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Shelton | Top Vocal Duo of the Year | Nominated |
Country Music Association Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Somebody Lied" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Horizon Award | Won | |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1989 | Won | ||
| "I'll Leave This World Loving You" | Single of the Year | Nominated | |
| Loving Proof | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1990 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | |
| RVS III | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Ricky Van Shelton | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1991 | "Rockin' Years"[A] | Vocal Event of the Year | Nominated |
^[A] Nominated alongside Dolly Parton
References
- Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ Official Site Bio "The Man", Accessed July 18, 2007.
- Allmusic. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
