Jean Shepard

Jean Shepard Ollie Imogene Shepard born ( born November 21, 1933 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma), is a successful country singer with numerous hits on the country charts and one of the first female country stars that are members of the "Grand Ole Opry " were.

Career

Jean Shepard, born in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma is one of ten siblings, grew up near Bakersfield, Visalia, California. In 1948 she was bassist and lead singer of the girl band "The Melody Ranch Girls". In one of the scenes of the band was discovered by Hank Thompson in 1953 gave her a recording contract with Capitol Records.

In February 1953, their first single Crying Steel Guitar Waltz ( Capitol 2358 ), but was unsuccessful appeared. Their second single, which was released in June 1953, was a duet with Ferlin Husky, entitled A Dear John Letter ( 2502 ), reached number 16 of the U.S. pop charts and held for 23 weeks at the top of the country charts. The text deals with - against the backdrop of the Korean War - a letter from a girl to a soldier fighting in the Far East, where they announced that they now have a new friend. Published in September 1953, thematically related single Forgive Me Dear ( 2586 ), another duet with Ferlin Husky, could not repeat the success.

In the course of her extensive career several decades succeeded Jean Shephard to A Dear John Letter in 1953, only one more time to place yourself in the pop charts, with the single Slippin 'Away in 1973. Fact that her career on the field of country music has been limited, may have been the fact that they held the traditional country music style of the 1950s and was always heard in their recordings a strong honky- tonk influence.

It took almost two years before Jean Shepard was able to place in the country charts again: 1955 released the singles Satisfied Mind ( 3118 ) and Beautiful Lies ( 3222 ), which both reached number 4. It was the same year as the only woman member of the ensemble of the first U.S. nationwide televised music series Ozark Jubilee and stepped over the years regularly on the show. In 1956, their first LP released Songs Of A Love Affair ( Capitol T -728 ), which contained only newly recorded and composed by Shepard material and not previously released as a single title is of the song selection and arrangement ago one of the first concept albums in country music.

From 1956 to 1957 Shepard was a regular guest on the Saturday Network Show Red Foley and appeared in numerous television shows. In 1958 she became the third country singer ever member of the Grand Ole Opry, Kitty Wells and Minnie Pearl were until then the only female members. Between 1956 and 1963, Shepard had only two minor country hits: I Want To Go Where No One Knows Me (18th in 1958 ) and Have Heart Will Love ( 1959 # 30 ). Obviously her honky- tonk style did not come in time, as the Nashville sound dominated country music to a wider audience, even though Cash Box magazine had voted the best female country singer in 1959.

Hawkshaw Hawkins, a well-known country singer, she had met at the Ozark Jubilee television series, he was also one of the founding ensemble of the show. 1960 married Hawkins and Shephard and lived when they were not on tour, on a ranch near Nashville and bred horses. On March 5, 1963 Hawkins died in a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee, located near Nashville, died. In the crash, the country stars Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas died.

The second half of the 1960s was the most successful for Jean Shepard period, for 1964-1969, seven of their singles were in the Top 20 on the country charts. In 1964 Shepard made ​​a comeback with the title Second Fiddle ( To An Old Guitar ) ( 5169 ), reached # 5 on the country charts. Their duet with Ray Pillow I'll Take The Dog ( 5633 ) reached number 9 in 1966, the follow-up single If Teardrops Were Silver ( 5681 ) in the same year 10th place Her last Top 10 hit for Capitol should Then He Touches Me ( 2694 ) in 1969 will.

In 1973, Jean Shepard, after twenty years of service to the Capitol to the record company United Artists. Direct her first single for United Artists Slippin 'Away reached # 4 on the country charts, but remained her last major success. Although it took until 1977 to further eleven singles for United Artists, charts successes, however, remained rather modest. After a brief but unsuccessful stint in 1978 in the form of two singles for GRT Records, Generation released their latest single, Too Many Rivers in 1981 at the First Records label.

Discography

Single - Discography (selection)

Selection criterion: The first five singles, then all singles that came in the Top 20 on the country charts.

LP Discography (selection)

Selection criterion: the first three LPs, then all LPs that came in the Top 20 on the country charts