R

Jim Reeves

40 Golden Greats

SLEEVE NOTES

To label Jim Reeves as a pop balladeer with an international reputation is an over-simplification-despite an endless stream of pop music chart successes that continued long after his untimely death in 1964.

He was essentially a country singer. All his greatest hits were country songs written by country composers. His contribution to the spread of country music in the 1960's is immeasurable. But he bridged the gap between hillbilly and popular music by replacing the traditional sound of twangy guitars and bluegrass fiddles with such sophisticated refinements as vocal backings, electric bass and piano. More importantly, though, his deep brown baritone range imbued the simple lyrics of the songs he sang with a warmth and intimacy few artists have ever emulated. And his appeal was worldwide.

He was a native born Texan who, as often as not, discarded the cowboy stage costume of the country singer in favour of evening dress. The youngest of nine children, James Travis Reeves was born on August 20, 1923, in the town of Galloway and his life story typifies the American Dream. His father died before he was a year old, leaving his mother to look after the farm and rear the family. Legend insists he swapped a bushel of pears for an old guitar when he was seven. In the event, he made his first broadcast on the local Shreveport radio station when he was nine. Although he played the guitar for pin money at High School dances, he was more interested in baseball by the time he entered the University of Texas at Austin. Sport's loss was music's gain when a leg injury cut short a promising baseball career shortly after he'd been signed up by the St. Louis Cardinals.

But success came slowly He married his wife, Mary, in 1947, at the age of 24. To support her, he became a disc jockey and newsreader at the KGRI radio station in Henderson, Texas. Five years later, he was Programme Director and Assistant Manager. He ended up owning the station, but he didn't buy it until 1959 after he had made the big time as a singer.

The turning point happened when he joined Station KWKH at Shreveport as announcer cum MC. He had to announce the big Saturday night 'Louisiana Hayride' show and was occasionally allowed to sing on it. Deputising for the famous Hank Williams who had failed to appear one Saturday, he was heard by the owner of the Abbott Recording Company of Hollywood and signed to a recording contract. His second release for Abbott, Mexican Joe, produced his first gold disc. His second came with Bimbo which he recorded in 1953.

As his recording career blossomed, he became a featured star on "Hayrlde' where he stayed until late 1955 when he switched to "The Grand Old Opry' show which was broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee. The masters of the 36 titles he recorded for Abbott were subsequently bought by RCA Victor. All these early songs were delivered in the raw down-to-earth country style of the day. It wasn't until he recorded Four Walls that thedistinctive Jim Reeves styl ewas established. From then on, he was rarely without a hit in either the pop or country charts, or both. Jim's famous backing group, the Blue Boys, were named after the hit song of the same title, released in 1958.

He toured extensively, boch within the USA and abroad. He visited the UK both under the auspices of the USA and privately in company with other RCA artists like Hank Locklin, Chet Atkins became his record producer. Together with Floyd Cramer they toured South Africa in 1962 and broke all known attendance records. Jim's one and only film, Kimberley Jim, was made there. He was welcomed tumultuously in Scandanavia, Germany Austria, Holland, Italy and Ireland, too.

In the meantime, the record hits flowed one after another. He'll Have To Go - with sales in excess of four million - Welcome To My World, Make The World Go Away, Distant Drums...in all he recorded over 300 songs. That is the legacy 'Gentleman' Jim Reeves left his fans. The fact that his records still sell in Incredible numbers ensures his place in the "Hall of Fame."