Jimmy Hughes (singer)
Jimmy Hughes | |
|---|---|
 Hughes, March 1967 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jimmy J. Hughes |
| Born | February 3, 1938 Temecula, California,United States |
| 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 formerrhythm and bluessinger, whose biggest successes in the mid-1960s, notably his hit "Steal Away",were important in the early development of theMuscle Shoalsmusic industry.
Life and career
[edit]Hughes, a cousin ofPercy Sledge,was born and raised inLeighton, Alabama,close to Muscle Shoals. He began singing in agospelquartet, The Singing Clouds, while at high school. In 1962, he auditioned for record producerRick Hallat hisFAME Studios.Hall was impressed, and recorded Hughes on a song, "I'm Qualified", that Hall had co-written withQuin Ivy.The record was leased to theGuydenlabel inPhiladelphia,but was not a hit. Hughes returned to his day job at arubberfactory, and began singing secular R&B songs in local clubs.[2][3]
Early in 1964, he returned to Hall with a powerful ballad he had written, "Steal Away", partly based on the gospel song "Steal Away to Jesus",and recorded the song in one take,[2]backed by the studio rhythm section of guitaristTerry Thompson,keyboardistDavid Briggs,bassistNorbert Putnamand drummerJerry Carrigan.[2]Hall and his friendDan Pennthen promoted the record aroundradio stationsinthe South,and it rose to # 17 on theBillboardHot 100.[2][3]The record has been cited as "a prototype not only for subsequent great soul singers such asJohnnie TaylorandAl Green,but also would help define the signature Muscle Shoals sound. "[4]On the basis of Hughes' record, Hall signed a national distribution deal withVee-Jay Recordsfor his FAME label. Hughes' follow-up record, "Try Me", reached # 65 on the Hot 100, and he recorded an album,Steal Away,released on the Vee-Jay label, which included the first songwriting collaborations between Dan Penn andSpooner Oldham.[3][4]He also toured withSam Cooke,Jackie Wilson,Bobby Womackand others.[2]
Hughes' next few singles were unsuccessful, as Vee-Jay Records diverted their attention toThe BeatlesandThe 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 byAtlantic 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 toStax 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 albumSomething Special,were produced by label bossAl 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 fornuclear power plantsin theTennessee RiverValley, in later years only singing as a member of the congregation of his local church in Leighton.[2][4]
Severalcompilation albumsof Hughes' recordings have been issued in recent years.
Discography
[edit]Singles (chart hits only)
[edit]| 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
[edit]- Steal Away(Vee-Jay, 1965)[9]
- Why Not Tonight?(Atco, 1967)
- Something Special(Volt, 1969)
References
[edit]- ^Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013).Blues - A Regional Experience.Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 143.ISBN978-0313344237.Other sources give an apparently incorrect birth year of 1935, and Allmusic states incorrectly that he died in 1997.
- ^abcdef"Fame Records to reissue Jimmy Hughes collection | SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews".SoulTracks.com.28 October 2008.Retrieved2016-08-02.
- ^abcd"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.Retrieved2016-08-02.
- ^abcd"Frost Illustrated: Legendary Jimmy Hughes' work on FAME revisited".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-20.Retrieved2010-04-30.
- ^Bill Dahl (1997-01-04)."Jimmy Hughes | Biography & History".AllMusic.Retrieved2016-08-02.
- ^abWhitburn, Joel(2004).Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004.Record Research. p. 201.
- ^Whitburn, Joel (2003).Top Pop Singles 1955-2002(1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p.326.ISBN0-89820-155-1.
- ^abBillboarddid not publish an R&B chart during this period.
- ^"Jimmy Hughes Discography".Melingo.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-08-06.Retrieved2016-08-02.
