Del Reeves
Encyclopedia
Franklin Delano Reeves better known as Del Reeves, was an American country music
singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty songs of the 1960s including "Girl on the Billboard
" and "The Belles of Southern Bell". He is also known for his 1968 trucker
's anthem, "Looking At The World Through A Windshield", which demonstrated he was capable more than just novelty songs. He became one of the most successful male country singers of the 1960s.
on July 14, 1932. He was named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had been nominated by the Democratic Party
to be their presidential nominee just a few days before he was born.
In 1954, he signed on with Capitol Records
. Later in the 1950s, he recorded for Decca Records
, as well as Reprise Records
and Columbia Records
.
. The work he did for United Artists is probably his best-known work. He finally scored big in 1961 with the hit song "Be Quiet Mind". Later in 1965, he had his first #1 hit with "The Girl On The Billboard". His follow-up, "The Belles of the Southern Belle" made the country top five. During this time, he and his wife became a songwriting team and wrote songs for the likes of Rose Maddox
, Carl Smith
and Roy Drusky
, to name a few.
His success continued throughout the rest of the 1960s. Songs that became hits during this time are "Be Glad" and "Good Time Charlie's". In the late 1960s, he recorded an album paying tribute to Jim Reeves
(no relation) and also appeared in several Hollywood films, including a starring role in "Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers", and a supporting role in Burt Reynolds
' first big movie "Sam Whiskey
".
In the 1970s, he released a series of duets with Bobby Goldsboro
and Penny DeHaven
. He also returned to television, hosting the syndicated TV program, Del Reeves' Country Carnival.
His last big hit was "The Philadelphia Fillies". His career declined in the mid-70s and then started to slowly move away from country music, although he recorded some duets with Billie Jo Spears
in 1976.
. He continued to record in the 1980s, just not as much and for smaller labels.
Reeves joined the Grand Ole Opry
in 1966, where he continued to perform until his final years. His last Opry performance was in August 2002. He died from emphysema
on New Year's Day
, 2007.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty songs of the 1960s including "Girl on the Billboard
Girl on the Billboard
"Girl on the Billboard" is a 1965 single released by American country music singer Del Reeves. The novelty song was Reeves' fourth entry on the U.S. country chart and his only No. 1 single. "Girl on the Billboard" spent two weeks at No. 1 and a total of 20 weeks on the chart, in addition to...
" and "The Belles of Southern Bell". He is also known for his 1968 trucker
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
's anthem, "Looking At The World Through A Windshield", which demonstrated he was capable more than just novelty songs. He became one of the most successful male country singers of the 1960s.
Rise to fame
Reeves was born in Sparta, North CarolinaSparta, North Carolina
Sparta is a town in Alleghany County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,817 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alleghany County.-Geography:Sparta is located at ....
on July 14, 1932. He was named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had been nominated by the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to be their presidential nominee just a few days before he was born.
In 1954, he signed on with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Later in the 1950s, he recorded for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, as well as Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
1960s–1970s
Everything began to change when Reeves signed with United Artists RecordsUnited Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
. The work he did for United Artists is probably his best-known work. He finally scored big in 1961 with the hit song "Be Quiet Mind". Later in 1965, he had his first #1 hit with "The Girl On The Billboard". His follow-up, "The Belles of the Southern Belle" made the country top five. During this time, he and his wife became a songwriting team and wrote songs for the likes of Rose Maddox
Rose Maddox
Roselea Maddox , better known as Rose Maddox, was an American country singer-songwriter and fiddle player.Born in Boaz, Alabama, Maddox was the singer in the Maddox Brothers and Rose....
, Carl Smith
Carl Smith (country musician)
Carl Milton Smith was an American country music singer. Known as "Mister Country," Smith was the husband of June Carter and Goldie Hill, the drinking companion of Johnny Cash, and the father of Carlene Carter...
and Roy Drusky
Roy Drusky
Roy Frank Drusky Jr., was an American country music singer popular from the 1960s through the early 1970s. Known for his baritone voice, he was known for incorporating the Nashville sound. His highest-charting single was the No. 1 "Yes Mr. Peters", a duet with Priscilla Mitchell.-Early life and...
, to name a few.
His success continued throughout the rest of the 1960s. Songs that became hits during this time are "Be Glad" and "Good Time Charlie's". In the late 1960s, he recorded an album paying tribute to Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
(no relation) and also appeared in several Hollywood films, including a starring role in "Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers", and a supporting role in Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
' first big movie "Sam Whiskey
Sam Whiskey
Sam Whiskey is a 1969 comedy-western film directed by Arnold Laven and starring Burt Reynolds a decade before he zoomed to superstar status in the late 1970s. Angie Dickinson, Clint Walker and Ossie Davis co-star....
".
In the 1970s, he released a series of duets with Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. He had a string of Pop and Country hits during the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature #1 classic "Honey," which sold well over one million copies in the United States.-Early life:Goldsboro was born in Marianna, Florida...
and Penny DeHaven
Penny DeHaven
Penny DeHaven is an American Country Music Singer.She is best-known for having a series of Top 40 Country hits in the early 1970s. Her biggest hit was "Land Mark Tavern", a duet with Del Reeves in 1970.-Albums:...
. He also returned to television, hosting the syndicated TV program, Del Reeves' Country Carnival.
His last big hit was "The Philadelphia Fillies". His career declined in the mid-70s and then started to slowly move away from country music, although he recorded some duets with Billie Jo Spears
Billie Jo Spears
Billie Jo Spears is an American country music singer. She reached the top-10 of the Country music charts five times between 1969 and 1977, her biggest hit being "Blanket on the Ground", which, in 1975, became her only number one...
in 1976.
Decline
In 1979, Reeves left his musical career to pursue a career as a music executive and played a big role in the signing of Billy Ray CyrusBilly Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
. He continued to record in the 1980s, just not as much and for smaller labels.
Reeves joined the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
in 1966, where he continued to perform until his final years. His last Opry performance was in August 2002. He died from emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, 2007.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Girl on the Billboard | 8 |
| Doodle-Oo-Doo-Doo | 6 | |
| 1966 | Sings Jim Reeves | 23 |
| Special Delivery | 28 | |
| Gettin' Any Feed for Your Chickens | 18 | |
| Santa's Boy | — | |
| 1967 | Struttin' My Stuff | 22 |
| Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other | 42 | |
| The Little Church in the Dell | — | |
| Our Way of Life | 28 | |
| 1968 | Running Wild | 35 |
| The Best | — | |
| Looking at the World | 33 | |
| 1969 | Wonderful World of Country Music | — |
| Down at the Goodtime Charlie's | 42 | |
| Friends and Neighbors | — | |
| 1970 | Big Daddy Del | 41 |
| Country Concert | — | |
| The Best 2 | — | |
| 1971 | Del Reeves | 36 |
| 1972 | Before Goodbye | 45 |
| 1973 | Trucker's Paradise | — |
| 1974 | Live at the Palomino Club | 45 |
| The Very Best | 42 | |
| 1975 | With Strings and Things | — |
| 1976 | By Request (with Billie Jo Spears Billie Jo Spears Billie Jo Spears is an American country music singer. She reached the top-10 of the Country music charts five times between 1969 and 1977, her biggest hit being "Blanket on the Ground", which, in 1975, became her only number one... ) |
46 |
| 10th Anniversary | — | |
| 1980 | Let's Got to Heaven Tonight | — |
| 1994 | His Greatest Hits | — |
| 1996 | Gospel | — |
| 1998 | I'll Take My Chances | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1961 | "Be Quiet Mind" | 9 | — | singles only |
| 1962 | "He Stands Real Tall" | 11 | — | |
| 1963 | "The Only Girl I Can't Forget" | 13 | — | |
| 1964 | "Talking to the Night Lights" | 41 | — | |
| 1965 | "Girl on the Billboard Girl on the Billboard "Girl on the Billboard" is a 1965 single released by American country music singer Del Reeves. The novelty song was Reeves' fourth entry on the U.S. country chart and his only No. 1 single. "Girl on the Billboard" spent two weeks at No. 1 and a total of 20 weeks on the chart, in addition to... "A |
1 | — | Girl on the Billboard |
| "The Belles of the Southern Bell" | 4 | — | ||
| "Women Do Funny Things to Me" | 9 | — | Doodle-Oo-Doo-Doo | |
| 1966 | "One Bum Town" | 42 | — | Special Delivery |
| "Gettin' Any Feed for Your Chickens" | 37 | — | Gettin' Any Feed for Your Chickens | |
| "This Must Be the Bottom" | 27 | — | Struttin' My Stuff | |
| 1967 | "Blame It on My Do Wrong" | 45 | — | Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other |
| "The Private" | 33 | — | The Best of Del Reeves | |
| "A Dime at a Time" | 12 | — | Our Way of Life | |
| 1968 | "I Just Wasted the Rest" (with Bobby Goldsboro Bobby Goldsboro Bobby Goldsboro is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. He had a string of Pop and Country hits during the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature #1 classic "Honey," which sold well over one million copies in the United States.-Early life:Goldsboro was born in Marianna, Florida... ) |
56 | — | |
| "Wild Blood" | 18 | 5 | Running Wild | |
| "Looking at the World Through a Windshield" | 5 | 4 | Looking at the World | |
| "Good Time Charlie's" | 3 | 20 | Down at the Goodtime Charlie's | |
| 1969 | "Be Glad" | 5 | — | |
| "There Wouldn't Be a Lonely Heart In Town" | 12 | — | Big Daddy Del | |
| "Take a Little Good Will Home" (with Bobby Goldsboro) | 31 | 31 | Our Way of Life | |
| 1970 | "A Lover's Question A Lover's Question "A Lover's Question" is a 1958 pop/R&B hit for Clyde McPhatter. The single was written by Brook Benton and Jimmy T. Williams and was Clyde McPhatter's most successful pop and R&B release. "A Lover's Question" made it to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was #1 for one week on the R&B chart... " (with the Goodtime Charlies) |
14 | — | The Best 2 |
| "Son of a Coal Man" | 41 | 21 | Friends and Neighbors | |
| "Landmark Tavern" (with Penny DeHaven Penny DeHaven Penny DeHaven is an American Country Music Singer.She is best-known for having a series of Top 40 Country hits in the early 1970s. Her biggest hit was "Land Mark Tavern", a duet with Del Reeves in 1970.-Albums:... ) |
20 | 24 | singles only | |
| "Bad, Bad Tuesday" | — | 41 | ||
| "Right Back to Lovin' You Again" | 22 | 21 | Friends and Neighbors | |
| 1971 | "Bar Room Talk" | 30 | 7 | |
| "Workin' Like the Devil for the Lord" | 33 | — | ||
| "The Philadelphia Fillies" | 9 | 38 | Del Reeves | |
| "Dozen Pairs of Boots" | 31 | 49 | ||
| 1972 | "The Best Is Yet to Come" | 29 | — | |
| "No Rings, No Strings" | 62 | — | Before Goodbye | |
| "Crying in the Rain" | 54 | — | single only | |
| "Before Goodbye" | 47 | — | Before Goodbye | |
| 1973 | "Trucker's Paradise" | 54 | 86 | Trucker's Paradise |
| "Mm-Mm Good" | 44 | 31 | single only | |
| "Lay a Little Lovin' on Me" | 22 | 63 | The Very Best of Del Reeves | |
| 1974 | "What a Way to Go" | 70 | — | singles only |
| "Prayer from a Mobile Home" | 62 | — | ||
| "She Likes Country Bands" | 89 | — | ||
| "Pour It All on Me" | 65 | — | Strings and Things | |
| 1975 | "But I Do" | 65 | — | |
| "Puttin' In Overtime at Home" | 74 | — | ||
| "You Comb Her Hair Every Morning" | 92 | — | single only | |
| 1976 | "I Ain't Got Nobody" | 51 | — | 10th Anniversary |
| "On the Rebound" (with Billie Jo Spears Billie Jo Spears Billie Jo Spears is an American country music singer. She reached the top-10 of the Country music charts five times between 1969 and 1977, her biggest hit being "Blanket on the Ground", which, in 1975, became her only number one... ) |
29 | — | By Request | |
| "Teardrops Will Kiss the Morning Dew" (with Billie Jo Spears) | 42 | — | ||
| "My Better Half" | 79 | — | singles only | |
| 1977 | "Ladies' Night" | 78 | — | |
| 1978 | "When My Angel Turns into a Devil" | 93 | — | |
| "Dig Down Deep" | 79 | — | ||
| 1980 | "Take Me to Your Heart" | 82 | — | Del Reeves |
| "What Am I Gonna Do?" | 90 | — | ||
| 1981 | "Swinging Doors" | 67 | — | singles only |
| "Slow Hand Slow Hand Slow Hand is a ballad written by John Bettis and Michael Clark and recorded by the Pointer Sisters. It was first released in the spring of 1981 as the advance single for Black & White.-Background/ Impact:... " |
53 | — | ||
| 1982 | "Ain't Nobody Gonna Get My Body but You" | 67 | — | |
| 1986 | "The Second Time Around" | 95 | — | Here's Del Reeves |
- APeaked at #96 on Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #31 on the RPMRPM (magazine)RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Top Singles chart in Canada.