Johnny Dollar (musician)
Encyclopedia
Johnny Dollar was an American country
and rockabilly
musician.
, but it didn't catch on, and Dollar then found work as a DJ in Louisiana
and New Mexico
. There he began fronting a group called the Texas Sons and performed on the Louisiana Hayride
in the middle of the 1950s. Following this he played with the Light Crust Doughboys
, but soon returned to Dallas, where he began performing in the nascent style of rockabilly. Working with promoter Ed McLemore and songwriter Jack Rhodes
, he recorded a number of songs, but they were never issued, and Dollar soon left music, taking up work as an insurance
salesman in Oklahoma
.
In 1964, he met Ray Price
, and this encounter led to a contract with Columbia Records
. Through the second half of the 1960s, he had a number of hits for Dot Records
, Date Records
, and Chart Records
; among them were "Big Big Rollin' Man" (U.S. Country #48, 1968) and "Big Wheels Sing for Me" (U.S. Country #65, 1969). His best-selling album was 1968's Johnny Dollar, which reached #41 on the U.S. Billboard Country Albums chart. For much of the 1970s, Dollar did production work, for The New Coon Creek Girls, Jimmy Dickens, and Teddy Nelson, among others.
Dollar married and divorced four times, and was an alcoholic; late in his career he acquired throat cancer
, and the operations destroyed his ability to sing. He committed suicide
on April 13, 1986.
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...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
musician.
Biography
Dollar relocated to Dallas in the early 1950s, where he worked in trucking and in a lumber yard. In 1952 he recorded a single for D RecordsD Records
D Records was a record label located in Houston, Texas. It was founded by Pappy Daily. The label closed in 1965, though George Strait recorded his first songs under the label's name from 1978-1980.-Artists:*The Big Bopper*Doug Bragg*Eddie Bond...
, but it didn't catch on, and Dollar then found work as a DJ in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. There he began fronting a group called the Texas Sons and performed on the Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...
in the middle of the 1950s. Following this he played with the Light Crust Doughboys
Light Crust Doughboys
The Light Crust Doughboys is a quintessential American Western swing band from Texas organized in 1931 by the Burrus Mill and Elevator Company in Saginaw, Texas. The band achieved its peak popularity in the few years leading up to World War II...
, but soon returned to Dallas, where he began performing in the nascent style of rockabilly. Working with promoter Ed McLemore and songwriter Jack Rhodes
Jack Rhodes
Andrew Jackson Rhodes was an American country music producer and songwriter, penning such hits as "A Satisfied Mind", "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", "Conscience I'm Guilty", "The Waltz of the Angels", "Beautiful Lies", and "Till the Last Leaf Shall Fall"...
, he recorded a number of songs, but they were never issued, and Dollar soon left music, taking up work as an insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
salesman in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
In 1964, he met Ray Price
Ray Price (musician)
Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
, and this encounter led to a contract with 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...
. Through the second half of the 1960s, he had a number of hits for Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
, Date Records
Date Records
Date Records was a sub-label of Columbia Records which had two different incarnations. The first incarnation was a short-lived rockabilly label in 1958 which included a release by Billy "Crash" Craddock...
, and Chart Records
Chart Records
Chart Records was a country music record label of the 1960s, best known for turning Lynn Anderson into a major country star. It was owned by Slim Williamson.The label was founded in 1964...
; among them were "Big Big Rollin' Man" (U.S. Country #48, 1968) and "Big Wheels Sing for Me" (U.S. Country #65, 1969). His best-selling album was 1968's Johnny Dollar, which reached #41 on the U.S. Billboard Country Albums chart. For much of the 1970s, Dollar did production work, for The New Coon Creek Girls, Jimmy Dickens, and Teddy Nelson, among others.
Dollar married and divorced four times, and was an alcoholic; late in his career he acquired throat cancer
Head and neck cancer
Head and neck cancer refers to a group of biologically similar cancers that start in the upper aerodigestive tract, including the lip, oral cavity , nasal cavity , paranasal sinuses, pharynx, and larynx. 90% of head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas , originating from the mucosal lining...
, and the operations destroyed his ability to sing. He committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on April 13, 1986.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Johnny Dollar | 41 | Date |
| 1969 | Big Rig Rollin' Man | — | Chart |
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 | |||
| 1966 | "Tear-Talk" | 49 | — | singles only |
| "Stop the Start (Of Tears in My Heart)" | 15 | — | ||
| "Crazy Eyes" | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "Your Hands" | 65 | — | |
| "The Wheels Fell Off the Wagon Again" | 47 | — | Johnny Dollar | |
| 1968 | "Everybody's Got to Be Somebody" | 42 | — | |
| "Do-Die" | — | 24 | ||
| "Big Rig Rollin' Man" | 48 | — | Big Rig Rollin' Man | |
| 1969 | "Big Wheels Sing for Me" | 65 | — | |
| "If I Get Low Enough" | — | — | ||
| "Rain Falls in Denver Tonight" | — | — | ||
| 1970 | "Truck Driver's Lament" | 71 | — | |
| "Just a Swallow Away" | — | — | singles only | |
| 1971 | "Highway in the Sky" | — | — | |
| "If We Make the Front Door Open Woman" | — | — |