Baker Knight

Thomas Baker Knight, Jr. ( born July 4, 1933, Birmingham, Alabama; † 12 October 2005) was an American rockabilly musician and songwriter. He is considered one of the most successful composers of the rock ' n' roll time and is best known for the title of The Wonder of You, which was recorded by Elvis Presley.

Life

Childhood and youth

Baker Knight was born in the same city as Hardrock Gunter and raised on. His father, he lost six years. From this point on, he was raised by relatives. After three years he spent in the Air Force, where he learned to play the guitar, he started at the University of Alabama to study. At this time he wrote his first title.

In 1956 he founded his rockabilly band, The Knightmare. That same year, Knight and his band got a record deal with kit Records. There he released his first single, but was ignored. With his next song, Bring My Cadillac Back, he had much more success. The record topped the local charts and the Decca Records began to publish the title nationally. However, the radio stations boycotted the song, in their opinion, it was "pure advertising " for the car company Cadillac. After his initial success Knight brought to the end of 1957 also sheets out, but with little success.

Career

1958 Knight moved to Hollywood, where he hoped for a career as an actor. To this end, it did not come. He learned a short time later the well-known rockabilly singer Eddie Cochran know whose girlfriend Sharon Sheeley mediated Knight then to Ricky Nelson on. The 1958 reached the Top 10 charts with Knights title Lonesome Town. Overall, Nelson recorded 21 tracks of Knight. Famous stars such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Hank Williams, Jr. now took on its title. Until the late 1970s singers stood with his titles on the charts, especially Elvis, who in the U.S. and in the UK topped the charts with The Wonder of You.

Even country stars such as Mickey Gilley were able to record his songs with success. Do not The Girls All Get Prettier At Close Time was honored by the Academy of Country Music with the Song of the Year. Knight published continue even plates, among others at Warner Bros. Records, RCA Victor, Chess Records and Challenge Records. In 1985 he had to give up his career as a songwriter and musician, however; his doctors had diagnosed him a serious illness.

Baker Knight died on 12 October 2005, shortly after he had his autobiography A Piece Of The Big -Time released.

Discography