Jim Reeves (August 20 1923 – July 31 1964) was an American country singer and pop singer.
Jim Reeves |
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- Jim Reeves is also the name of a competitive eater.
Early Life & Rise to Fame
Reeves was born James Travis Reeves in Galloway, a small rural community near Carthage in southeastern Panola County, Texas[1]; he became known as a crooner because of his warm, velvety voice. His songs were remarkable for their simple elegance highlighted by his rich light baritone voice. Songs such as "He'll Have to Go," "Adios Amigo," "Welcome To My World," and "Am I Losing You" demonstrated this approach. Jim Reeves' Christmas songs have been perennial favorites, including songs such as "Silver Bells," "Blue Christmas," and "An Old Christmas Card."
After an injury cut short his minor-league baseball career within the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, his musical break came while working as announcer on KWKH Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Singer Sleepy LaBeef could not make it on time for a performance on the Louisiana Hayride, according to former Hayride emcee Frank Page, and Reeves was asked to fill in. (Other accounts—including Reeves himself, in an interview later released on the RCA album Yours Sincerely—name Hank Williams as the absentee.) Reeves' singing career was launched.
Initial Success in the 1950s
His first country hits included "I Love You" (a duet with Ginny Wright), "Mexican Joe", "Bimbo" and other songs on both Fabor Records and Abbott Records. Eventually, Reeves began to tire of the novelty bracket he had been forced into, and left for RCA Victor.
Indeed, by 1955 it was becoming apparent that RCA was very willing to sign Jim, and offered him a 10-year recording contract. Reeves signed, and the Abbot label had released a singer who was due to become one of country music's biggest and brightest stars. (Incidentally. the man who clinched the deal for RCA, Stephen H. Sholes, produced some of Jim's first recordings at RCA, and later in 1955 he completed a memorable "double" when he signed a young Elvis Presley for the company. )
In his earliest RCA Victor recordings, Reeves was still singing in the loud style of his first recordings, a style considered standard for country-western performers at that time. He sought to soften his volume, using a lower pitch and singing with lips nearly touching the microphone, but ran into some resistance at RCA—until in 1957, with the support of his producer Chet Atkins, he used this new style on his version of a demo song of lost love, written from a woman's perspective (and intended for a female singer). "Four Walls" not only took top position on the country charts, but went top-ten on the popular charts at the same time. Reeves had not only opened the door to wider acceptance for other country singers, but had also helped usher in a new style of country music, using violins and lusher background arrangements, soon called "The Nashville Sound."
His Hits in the 1960s
In 1959–60 Reeves scored his greatest hit with the Joe Allison composition "He'll Have to Go," which earned him a platinum record. In the early 1960s, Reeves was more popular than Elvis Presley in South Africa. During this period, he recorded several albums in Afrikaans. In 1963 he starred in a South African movie, Kimberley Jim, which was the biggest South African production up to that date. He had a posthumous No.1 hit on the United Kingdom pop charts in 1966 with "Distant Drums," a song written for him by Cindy Walker. Jim Reeves was one of the few Western singers, including music acts such as Boney M and ABBA, who became widely known in the non-European world, including Africa, India and Southeast Asia. To this day he is affectionately referred to as "Gentleman Jim" in those parts. Reeves is particularly popular amongst the Zulu population in South Africa and is also known by the monikers "King Jim" and, because of his 6'1" frame, "Big Jim".
Death
Reeves tragically died when the small aircraft he was piloting crashed during a thunderstorm near Nashville, Tennessee. His business partner and manager Dean Manuel (who was also the pianist in Reeves' backing group) was also killed in the crash. On July 31st 1964 Reeves and Manuel left Batesville, Arkansas en route to Nashville, Tennessee having just secured a deal on some property. Whilst flying over Brentwood, Tennessee they encountered a violent thunderstorm which proved more than a match for the tiny, single-engined Beechcraft 'Debonair' aircraft. The plane faded from the radar screens at around 5:02 pm on July 31st and all radio contact with the craft was lost.
One of the major causes of the crash was deemed to have been that the small airplane had become caught in the centre of the thunderstorm and that Reeves had become disorientated by "pilot's vertigo", which would have resulted in him not realising in which direction the plane was travelling, be it up, down, left or right.
Controversy Over His Death
It is now believed that Reeves was, in fact, flying the plane upside down and believed he was raising the craft some distance in an attempt to clear the path of the storm. Of course, this disastrously (and fatally) resulted in his taking the airplane downward and straight to the ground. This would have explained why, when the wreckage was eventually found some 42 hours later, the engine and nose of the plane were buried in the ground.
On the morning of August 2nd 1964, after an agonising and intense search (aided by such people as Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold, Stonewall Jackson and Ernest Tubb) the bodies of Jim Reeves and Dean Manuel were found amongst the wreckage of the shattered plane. At 1 pm that afternoon, radio stations across the United States announced to their shocked and stunned audiences that Jim Reeves had been killed in a plane crash. In what can only be described as a sad irony, riding high in the UK charts at the time was "I Won't Forget You". The song later became a number one hit in the United States.
Many thousands of people turned out to pay their last respects to Jim Reeves at his funeral, which took place on August 4, 1964. The coffin, draped in flowers from respectful fans, was driven through the silent streets of Nashville and to Jim's final resting place near his home town Carthage, Texas.
Legacy
Reeves's records continued with good sales for both the old albums and a series of new ones. His widow, Mary, combined unreleased tracks with rerecorded previous releases (placing updated instrumentals alongside Reeves' original vocals) to produce a regular series of "new" albums after her husband's death. She also operated The Jim Reeves Museum in Nashville, Tennessee from the early 1980's until 1996.
Indeed, Jim scored a major success when, in 1966, his record "Distant Drums" went to number one in the British singles chart and remained in pole position for a remarkable six weeks - beating off stiff competition from such acts as The Beatles with "Yellow Submarine" and "Elanor Rigby" (a double-sided release) and the Beach Boys "All Or Nothing". In addition, "Distant Drums" also held off many other songs from living artists who were in the UK charts at that time. In all, "Distant Drums" remained in the UK charts for a staggering forty-five weeks as well as topping the US country music charts. Not bad going for a song which had only been recorded by Jim for its composer Cindy Walker under the impression it was for her personal use only and had been deemed "unsuitable" for general release by Chet Atkins and the RCA record company. "Distant Drums" was named 'Song of the Year' in the UK in 1966 and Jim had the distinction of being the first American artist to receive that particular accolade.
He was elected posthumously to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967, and in 1998 he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in Carthage, Texas, where the Jim Reeves Memorial is located.
Reeves' inscription at the Country Music Hall of Fame reads -
"The velvet style of 'Gentleman Jim Reeves' was an international influence. His rich voice bought millions of new fans to country music from every corner of the world.
Although the crash of his private aeroplane took his life, posterity will keep his name alive because they will remember him as one of country music's most important performers."
The inscription on the Jim Reeves Memorial has the poignant words -
"If I, a lowly singer, dry one tear, or soothe one humble human heart in pain, then my homely verse to God is dear, and not one stanza has been sung in vain."
Discography
Selected Hit Singles
| Year | Single | Album | U.S. Country | U.S. Pop | Norway Top 10 | |
| 1955 | "Drinking Tequila" | Bimbo | #9 | - | - | |
| 1955 | "Penny Candy" | Bimbo | #5 | - | - | |
| 1956 | "According to My Heart" | According to My Heart | #4 | - | - | |
| 1956 | "My Lips Are Sealed" | According to My Heart | #8 | - | - | |
| 1956 | "The Mother of a Honky Tonk Girl" | Jim Reeves and Some Friends | #4 | - | - | |
| 1957 | "Am I Losing You?" | - | #3 | - | - | |
| 1957 | "Four Walls" | The Best | #1 | #11 | - | |
| 1957 | "Two Shadows On Your Window" | Up Through the Years | #9 | - | - | |
| 1957 | "Waitin' For a Train" | Country Side | #3 | - | - | |
| 1957 | "Young Hearts" | Up Through the Years | #12 | - | - | |
| 1958 | "Anna Marie" | Girls I Have Known | #3 | #93 | - | |
| 1958 | "Blue Boy" | The Best | #2 | #45 | - | |
| 1958 | "Billy Bayou" | He'll Have to Go | #1 | #95 | - | |
| 1959 | "Home" | He'll Have to Go | #2 | - | - | |
| 1959 | "Partners" | He'll Have to Go | #5 | - | - | |
| 1960 | "Am I Losing You?" | The Best | #8 | #31 | - | |
| 1960 | "He'll Have to Go" | He'll Have to Go | #1 | #2 | #1 | |
| 1960 | "I Know One" | Up Through the Years | #6 | #82 | - | |
| 1960 | "I Missed Me" | Distant Drums | #3 | #44 | - | |
| 1960 | "I'm Gettin' Better" | He'll Have to Go | #3 | #37 | - | |
| 1961 | "Stand At Your Window" | The Best | #16 | - | - | |
| 1961 | "What Would You Do?" | The Best | #15 | - | - | |
| 1961 | "The Blizzard" | Tall Tales and Short Tempers | #4 | #62 | - | |
| 1962 | "Adios Amigo" | The Best | #2 | #90 | #2 | |
| 1962 | "I'm Gonna Change Everthing" | Have I Told You Lately | #2 | #95 | ||
| 1962 | "Losing Your Love" | Distant Drums | #2 | #89 | - | |
| 1962 | "Pride Goes Before a Fall" | Up Through the Years | #18 | - | - | |
| 1962 | "You're the Only Good Thing (That's Happened to Me)" | The Intimate | - | - | #2 | |
| 1963 | "Guilty" | International | #3 | #91 | - | |
| 1963 | "Is This Me?" | The Best 2 | #3 | - | - | |
| 1964 | "I Guess I'm Crazy" | The Best 2 | #1 | #82 | #2 | |
| 1964 | "Not Until the Next Time" | Distant Drums | - | - | #6 | |
| 1964 | "Love Is No Excuse" (with Dottie West) | Jim Reeves and Some Friends | #7 | - | - | |
| 1964 | "Welcome to My World" | A Touch of Velvet | #2 | - | #3 | |
| 1964 | "I Love You Because" | Gentleman Jim | - | - | #1 | |
| 1964 | "There's a Heartache Following Me" | Good 'N' Country | - | - | #3 | |
| 1965 | "I Won't Forget You" | The Country Side | #3 | - | #1 | |
| 1965 | "Is It Really Over?" | Distant Drums | #1 | #79 | - | |
| 1965 | "This Is It" | Distant Drums | #1 | #88 | #9 | |
| 1965 | "Rosa Rio" | Moonlight and Roses | - | - | #3 | |
| 1965 | "It Hurts So Much" | The Jim Reeves Way | - | - | #4 | |
| 1965 | "How Long Has It Been" | God Be With You | - | - | #9 | |
| 1966 | "Blue Side of Lonesome" | The Blue Side of Lonesome | #1 | #59 | - | |
| 1966 | "Snowflake" | Distant Drums | - | - | #2 | |
| 1966 | "Distant Drums" | Distant Drums | - | - | #2 | |
| 1967 | "I Won't Come In While He's There" | The Blue Side of Lonesome | #1 | - | #7 | |
| 1967 | "The Storm" | The Best of Jim Reeves | #16 | - | - | |
| 1968 | "I Heard a Heart Break Last Night" | The Best of Jim Reeves | #9 | - | - | |
| 1968 | "When You Are Gone" | A Touch of Sadness | #7 | - | - | |
| 1969 | "When Two Worlds Collide" | Jim Reeves Writes You a Record | #6 | - | - | |
| 1970 | "Angels Don't Lie" | Jim Reeves Writes You a Record | #4 | - | - | |
| 1970 | "Nobody's Fool" | Jim Reeves Writes You a Record | #10 | - | - | |
| 1971 | "Gypsy Feet" | My Friend | #16 | - | - | |
| 1972 | "Missing You" | Missing You | #8 | - | - | |
| 1972 | "The Writing's On the Wall" | My Friend | #15 | - | - | |
| 1973 | "Am I That Easy to Forget?" | Jim Reeves' Golden Records | #12 | - | - | |
| 1974 | "I'd Fight the World" | I'd Fight the World | #19 | - | - | |
| 1979 | "Don't Let Me Cross Over" (with Deborah Allen) | Don't Let Me Cross Over | #10 | - | - | |
| 1979 | "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight" (with Deborah Allen) | Don't Let Me Cross Over | #6 | - | - | |
| 1980 | "Take Me In Your Arms and Hold Me" (with Deborah Allen) | Don't Let Me Cross Over | #10 | - | - | |
| 1982 | "Have You Ever Been Lonely?" (with Patsy Cline) | Greatest Hits | #5 | - | - |
Selected Albums
| Year | Album | U.S. Country | U.S. Pop | Norway Top 20 | |
| 1956 | Bimbo | - | - | - | |
| 1957 | Jim Reeves | - | - | - | |
| 1958 | Girls I Have Known | - | - | #20 | |
| 1958 | God Be With You | - | - | #4 | |
| 1959 | Songs to Warm the Heart | - | - | #18 | |
| 1960 | According to My Heart | - | - | #16 | |
| 1960 | He'll Have to Go | - | #18 | #15 | |
| 1961 | Tall Tales and Short Tempers | - | - | - | |
| 1961 | Talkin' to Your Heart | - | - | - | |
| 1962 | Country Side | - | - | #8 | |
| 1962 | A Touch of Velvet | - | #97 | #8 | |
| 1962 | We Thank Thee | - | - | #12 | |
| 1963 | Gentleman Jim | - | - | #2 | |
| 1963 | International | - | - | #5 | |
| 1963 | Good 'n' Country | #13 | - | #7 | |
| 1963 | 12 Songs of Christmas | - | #15 | #3 | |
| 1964 | Kimberley Jim | - | - | #11 | |
| 1964 | Moonlight and Roses | #1 | #30 | #2 | |
| 1964 | The Best | #1 | #9 | #1 | |
| 1964 | Have I Told You Lately | #5 | - | #8 | |
| 1965 | The Jim Reeves Way | #2 | #45 | #5 | |
| 1965 | Up Through the Years | #1 | - | #10 | |
| 1965 | The Best 2 | #4 | #100 | #7 | |
| 1966 | Distant Drums | #1 | #21 | #2 | |
| 1966 | Yours Sincerely | #3 | - | #15 | |
| 1967 | Blue Side of Lonesome | #3 | #185 | #15 | |
| 1969 | Jim Reeves and Some Friends | #18 | - | - | |
| 1969 | The Best 3 | #12 | - | - | |
| 1971 | Jim Reeves Writes You a Record | #34 | - | - | |
| 1971 | Something Special | #13 | - | - | |
| 1973 | Am I That Easy to Forget? | #11 | - | - | |
| 1974 | I'd Fight the World | #13 | - | - | |
| 1975 | Songs of Love | #34 | - | - | |
| 1979 | The Best 4 | - | - | - | |
| 1979 | Don't Let Me Cross Over | #23 | - | - | |
| 1980 | There's Always Me | #56 | - | - | |
| 1981 | Greatest Hits (with Patsy Cline) | #8 | - | - | |
| 1985 | Collector's Series | - | - | - | |
| 1995 | The Essential Jim Reeves | - | - | - | |
| 1997 | Golden Memories | - | - | - | |
| 1998 | All Time Gospel Favorites | - | - | - | |
| 1999 | Super Hits | - | - | - | |
| 1999 | Radio Days | - | - | - |
References
- All Music Guide
External links
- All Music Guide Biography and discography at The All Music Guide AMG
- The Jim Reeves Way, a page dedicated to the memory of Jim Reeves
- Jim Reeves at the Country Music Hall of Fame
- Dutch language Jim Reeves site. Large collection of Jim Reeves information
- Jim Reeves Forum, a fan forum dedicated to Jim Reeves
- website of the Jim Reeves fan club. The fan club issues the fan club magazine in two editions: Dutch and English. It was founded in 1975 and is the longest running Jim Reeves fan club/ organisation.
- Jim Reeves Memorial site Jim Reeves' Memorial
- Discography to the left: scroll down to 'R' and 'REEVES Jim' (this discography is quite complete w/ original picture sleeves, chart positions and lyrics)
- Jim Reeves A, incomplete, Discography featuring pictures of, mostly, original british album sleeves