Billie Jo Spears
Billie Jo Spears (actually: Billie Jean Spears, born January 14, 1937 in Beaumont, Texas, † December 14, 2011 in Vidor, Texas) was an American country music singer, with its greatest success in the 1970s, among other Blanket on the Ground had.
Life
The songwriter Jack Rhodes, a family friend, wrote for the then 13 -year-old Billie Jo Too Old for Toys, Too Young for Boys. She released the song under the name Billie Jo Moore on the B - side of a single by Mel Blanc with a small independent label. It was followed by appearances in the show Louisiana Hayride. After these first experiences in the music business Spears graduated first out of school, worked as a secretary and sang in nightclubs.
After visiting the Nashville producer Pete Drake noticed her and asked her for some demo tapes. In 1964 she moved from Texas to Nashville, where he completed a contract with the label United. After her first singles flopped without exception, she moved to Capitol Records in 1968. With He's Got More Love in His Little Finger she could in 1968 recorded their first minor hit. A year later, they reached number five with Mr. Walker, It's All Over. The following productions were again not too successful. Serious vocal cord problems forced repeatedly to longer interruptions in 1972 to a vocal cord surgery.
After a few positions with smaller labels Spears returned in 1974 to United Artists back. Here she succeeded in 1975 with Blanket on the Ground produced by Larry Butler breakthrough. The song reached number one on the country charts and placed himself in the pop charts. In Germany the play took place 39th 1976 she was chosen by the Academy of Country Music for the most promising young singer. There followed a series of other hits, starting with What I've Got in Mind, Sing Me an Old Fashioned Song and Misty Blue 57 Chevrolet, Love Is not Gonna Wait for Us and 1977 If You Want Me to 1981 Your Good Girl 's Gonna Go Bad, a remake of Tammy Wynettes 60s hit. This was Spears last track, which reached the top 20 in the U.S. country charts.
After their popularity in the U.S. abated. She moved to smaller European labels and stayed a few more years in the business, especially in the UK. In 1993, she had to undergo a serious heart operation. In 2005, she rereleased with I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry album. Billie Jo Spears died on 14 December 2011 in Vidor, Texas at the age of 74 years from the effects of cancer.