Red Sovine
Red Sovine | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Woodrow Wilson Sovine |
| Born | July 7, 1917 Charleston, West Virginia |
| Died | April 4, 1980 (aged 62) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1935–1980 |
| Labels | Decca, Starday |
| Website | Red Sovine.com |
Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine (July 7, 1917 – April 4, 1980) was an American country music singer and songwriter associated with truck driving songs, particularly those recited as narratives but set to music.[1] His most noted examples are "Giddyup Go" (1965) and "Teddy Bear" (1976), both of which topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Biography[]
Early years[]
Sovine was born as Woodrow Wilson Sovine in 1917 in Charleston, West Virginia, United States,[1] earning the nickname "Red" because of his reddish-brown hair. He had two brothers and two sisters. Sovine was taught to play guitar by his mother. His first venture into music was with his childhood friend Johnnie Bailes, with whom he performed as "Smiley and Red, the Singing Sailors" in the country music revue Jim Pike's Carolina Tar Heels on WWVA-AM in Wheeling, West Virginia.[2] Faced with limited success, Bailes left to perform as part of The Bailes Brothers. Sovine got married, and continued to sing on Charleston radio, while holding down a job as a supervisor of a hosiery factory.[2] With the encouragement of Bailes, Sovine formed The Echo Valley Boys.[3]
After a year of performing in West Virginia, Sovine moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, where the Bailes Brothers were performing on KWKH-AM. Sovine's own early morning show was not popular, but he gained greater exposure performing on the famed KWKH radio program, Louisiana Hayride.[1] One of his co-stars was Hank Williams, who steered Sovine toward a better time slot at WSFA in Montgomery, Alabama, and toward a contract with MGM Records in 1949. That same year, Sovine replaced Williams on Louisiana Hayride when Williams jumped to the Grand Ole Opry. Over the next four years he recorded 28 singles, mostly following in Williams' honky tonk footsteps, which did not make much of a dent on the chart but did establish him as a solid performer.[2]
Fame[]
Another Louisiana Hayride co-star who helped Sovine was country music legend Webb Pierce. Pierce convinced Sovine to lead his Wondering Boys band and helped him toward a contract with Decca in 1954. The following year Sovine cut a duet with Goldie Hill, "Are You Mine?" which peaked in the Top 15, and in 1956 he had his first number one hit when he duetted with Pierce on a cover of George Jones' "Why Baby Why".[1] Sovine had two other Top Five singles that year and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.[2][4] After recording close to 50 sides with Decca by 1959, Sovine signed to Starday Records and began touring the club circuit as a solo act. That same year, Sovine was seriously injured in a car accident that claimed the life of two of his band members, Douglas Nicks and Johnny Morris.
1960s[]
In 1961, a song copyrighted in 1955 by Sovine and co-writer Dale Noe became a sizeable hit on the pop chart. The tune was the ballad "Missing You", arranged in Countrypolitan style and was recorded by Ray Peterson for his own Dunes label. "Missing You" became a #29 Billboard "Top 100" hit. In the fall, it peaked at #7 on Billboard's "Adult Contemporary" chart. In 1963, Sovine passed on the helping hand given him by older performers when he heard the singing of minor league baseball player Charley Pride and suggested that he move to Nashville, Tennessee. Sovine opened doors for Pride at Pierce's Cedarwood Publishing, but his own career had stalled: "Dream House For Sale", which reached number 22 in 1964, came nearly eight years after his last hit.[2]
Trucker songs and sentimental tunes[]
In 1965, Sovine found his niche when he recorded "Giddyup Go", which, like most of his other trucker hits, he co-wrote with Tommy Hill.[1] It is spoken, rather than sung, as the words of an older long-distance truck driver who rediscovers his long-lost son driving another truck on the same highway. Minnie Pearl released an answer song titled "Giddy-Up Go Answer". Sovine's version of the song spent six weeks atop the country charts and crossed over to the pop charts. Other truck-driving hits followed, including:
- "Phantom 309", a tale of a hitchhiker who hops a ride from a trucker who turns out to be the ghost of a man who died years ago giving his life to save a school bus full of children from a horrible collision with his rig. This story was later adapted by singer-songwriter Tom Waits, who performed "Big Joe And Phantom 309" during his Nighthawks At The Diner recordings. Waits' version of this song was covered by Archers of Loaf on the 1995 tribute album, Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits. Musician Steve Flett named a recording project after the song. The song was originally written and recorded by Tommy Faile.
- "Teddy Bear", the tale of a disabled boy who lost his truck driver father in a highway accident and keeps his CB radio base as his only companion.
- "Little Joe", a tale of a trucker and his devoted canine friend which became his last big hit. This last story features Teddy Bear, who can now walk.[2]
Sovine was also remembered for his Christmas tear-jerkers, which included "Here It Is Christmas" (a divorcee's holiday lament), "Billy's Christmas Wish" (a dialogue between a poor, sickly, runaway boy and a sidewalk Santa), and "What Does Christmas Look Like?" (a little blind girl asks her father to describe the Christmas she cannot see).
Sovine also scored a sentimental hit with "Little Rosa" in which an Italian-American railroad employee tells a stranger, in broken English, about getting a bouquet to place on the grave of his small daughter who was killed by a train while he was away.
Personal life and death[]
Sovine was married to Norma Searls, who died on June 4, 1976 at the age of 57.[5]
On April 4, 1980, Sovine suffered a heart attack,[1] while driving his 1979 Ford Econoline 150 van near the intersection of Battery and Lealand Lanes in southern Nashville. This caused him to run a red light and strike an oncoming vehicle driven by Edgar Primm, 25, also of Nashville, before coming to rest against a tree near the intersection. The crash happened a few miles from Sovine's home on Stillwood Drive.
Sovine, who was alive but unconscious when paramedics arrived, was taken to St. Thomas Hospital along with Primm for treatment. Primm was treated and released for minor facial injuries. Sovine was pronounced dead at 11:47 a.m., shortly after arriving at the hospital. According to a preliminary autopsy, Sovine sustained massive abdominal bleeding caused by a lacerated spleen and liver, and fractured ribs and sternum.[6]
For many years after his death, his greatest hits collection (The Best of Red Sovine) was advertised on television, exposing his music to a new generation of fans.
Covers[]
Sovine performed covers of many truck driving songs made popular by fellow country stars, such as Del Reeves and Dave Dudley, as well as "Why Baby Why", a duet with Webb Pierce originally recorded by George Jones. Other covers include "A Dear John Letter" (Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky), "Old Rivers" (Walter Brennan), "Bringing Mary Home" (The Country Gentlemen), and "Roses for Mama" (C.W. McCall), among many more. Among his many other recitations was a reading of John Berrio's essay "Please God, I'm Only Seventeen," a cautionary tale of safety to newly licensed teen-aged drivers.
His last charting hit in his lifetime, in 1978, was a cover of rock singer-songwriter-guitarist Eric Clapton's "Lay Down Sally." Save for the mid-song guitar bridge, Sovine's version—a No. 70 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart—closely resembled the Clapton original.
Many of Sovine's biggest truck driving hits were covered by artists such as, Del Reeves, Dave Dudley, Ferlin Husky, Boxcar Willie, Tex Williams and Australian country singer Nev Nicholls. Mike Judge covered "Teddy Bear" as Hank Hill for the King of the Hill soundtrack. Some of Sovine's songs were covered by Dutch artists and became big hits in the Netherlands (including "Teddy Bear", "Giddy Up Go" and "Deck of Cards" by Gerard de Vries, "Phantom 309" (Stille Willie) by the B B Band, "Little Joe" (Kleine Waker) by Henk Wijngaard). Tom Waits released "Big Joe and Phantom 309" on his 1975 Nighthawks at the Diner.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | AUS[7] | CAN | |||
| 1956 | Red Sovine | — | — | — | MGM |
| 1961 | The One and Only | — | — | — | Starday |
| 1962 | The Golden Country Ballads of the '60s | — | — | — | |
| 1963 | Red Sovine | — | — | — | Decca |
| 1965 | The Heart Rending Little Rosa | — | — | — | Starday |
| 1966 | Country Music Time | — | — | — | Decca |
| Giddy Up Go | 4 | — | — | Starday | |
| The Sensational Red | — | — | — | ||
| The Nashville Sound | — | — | — | ||
| 1967 | I Didn't Jump the Fence | — | — | — | |
| Dear John Letter | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | The Country Way | — | — | — | Vocalion |
| Phantom 309 | 18 | — | — | Starday | |
| Tell Maude I Slipped | — | — | — | ||
| Sunday with Sovine | — | — | — | ||
| Anytime | — | — | — | ||
| 1969 | Classic Narrations | — | — | — | |
| Closing Time Till Dawn | — | — | — | ||
| Who Am I | — | — | — | ||
| Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town | — | — | — | ||
| 1970 | I Know You're Married | — | — | — | |
| 1973 | Greatest Grand Ole Opry | — | — | — | Chart |
| 1974 | It'll Come Back | 48 | — | — | |
| 1975 | Phantom 309 (reissue) | — | — | — | Gusto |
| 1976 | Teddy Bear | 1 | 57 | 67 | Starday |
| 1977 | Woodrow Wilson Sovine | 50 | — | — | |
| 1978 | Christmas with Red Sovine | — | — | — | |
| 16 New Gospel Songs | — | — | — | Gusto | |
Compilation albums[]
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | The Best | — | Starday |
| Little Rosa | — | Hit | |
| 1977 | 16 All-Time Favorites | — | Starday |
| 16 Greatest Hits | 47 | ||
| 1980 | Teddy Bear | — | Gusto |
| Phantom 309 | — | ||
| Giddy Up Go | — | ||
| Gone But Not Forgotten | — | Castle | |
| 1986 | Sings Hank Williams | — | Deluxe |
| 1989 | Crying in the Chapel | — | Hollywood |
| Famous Duets | — | ||
| 1991 | Best of the Best | — | Federal |
| 2001 | Phantom 309 | — | Prism Leisure |
| 2002 | Pledge of Allegiance | — | King |
| 20 All-Time Greatest Hits | — |
Singles[]
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1955 | "Why Baby Why" (w/ Webb Pierce) | 1 | — | Decca |
| "Are You Mine" (w/ Goldie Hill) | 14 | — | ||
| 1956 | "Little Rosa" (w/ Webb Pierce) | 5 | — | |
| "If Jesus Came to Your House" | 15 | — | ||
| "Hold Everything (Till I Get Home)" | 5 | — | ||
| 1959 | "Yankee, Go Home" (w/ Goldie Hill) | 17 | — | |
| 1964 | "Dream House for Sale" | 22 | — | Starday |
| 1965 | "Giddyup Go" | 1 | 82 | |
| 1966 | "Long Night" | 47 | — | |
| "Class of 49" | 44 | — | ||
| 1967 | "I Didn't Jump the Fence" | 17 | — | |
| "In Your Heart" | 33 | — | ||
| "Phantom 309" | 9 | — | ||
| 1968 | "Loser Making Good" | 63 | — | |
| "Normally, Norma Loves Me" | 61 | — | ||
| "Tell Maude I Slipped" | 33 | — | ||
| 1969 | "Who am I" | 62 | — | |
| 1970 | "Freightliner Fever" | 54 | — | |
| "I Know You're Married But I Love You Still" | 52 | — | ||
| 1974 | "It'll Come Back" | 16 | — | Chart |
| "Can I Keep Him Daddy" | 58 | — | ||
| 1975 | "Daddy's Girl" | 91 | — | |
| "Phantom 309" | 47 | — | Starday | |
| 1976 | "Teddy Bear"A | 1 | 40 | |
| "Little Joe" | 45 | 102 | ||
| "Last Goodbye" | 96 | — | ||
| 1977 | "Just Gettin' By" | 98 | — | |
| "Woman Behind the Man Behind the Wheel" | 92 | — | ||
| 1978 | "Lay Down Sally" | 70 | — | |
| "The Days of Me and You" | 77 | — | ||
| 1980 | "It'll Come Back" | 89 | — | |
| "The Little Family Soldier" | 74 | — | ||
- A"Teddy Bear" also peaked at No. 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart and No. 49 on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada. It also hit No. 4 on the UK charts in 1981, the only song of his to chart in that country.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 412. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Manheim, James (2012). "Red Sovine". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ^ "Red Sovine Bio". Redsovine.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- ^ "Opry Timeline - 1950s". Opry.com. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "Mrs. Norma Sovine". Sunday Gazette-Mail. Charleston, West Virginia. June 6, 1976. p. 56. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "We Miss You Red Sovine (MP3) - WFMU's Beware of the Blog". Blog.wfmu.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 286. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
Further reading[]
- Trott, Walt (1998). "Red Sovine". In Kingsbury, Paul (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 499.
- Moore, Bobby (July 25, 2018). "Remembering Truck Driving Song Legend Red Sovine". Wide Open Country.
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- 1917 births
- 1980 deaths
- Musicians from Charleston, West Virginia
- American male singer-songwriters
- American country singer-songwriters
- Grand Ole Opry members
- Decca Records artists
- MGM Records artists
- Starday Records artists
- RCA Victor artists
- Country musicians from West Virginia
- Road incident deaths in Tennessee
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century male singers