Red Sovine
Red Sovine ( July 17, 1918 as Woodrow Wilson Sovine in Charleston, West Virginia, † April 4, 1980 in Nashville, Tennessee) was an American country musician and singer. Sovine was particularly known for his spoken in recitative songs in which he usually told melancholy stories from the world of truckers. The most successful of these songs was to be published in 1976 number -one hit Teddy Bear.
Life
From a young age learned to play Red Sovine by his mother Acoustic Guitar. In the regional music scene Sovine quickly made a name after it had occurred as a teenager with a friend already on the radio. Musically he was influenced by Buddy Starcher and Frank Welling, who had already heard during childhood Sovines over the nearby station WCHS in Charleston. With his friend Johnny Bailes joined Jim Pike Sovine Carolina Tar Heels and performed with Bailes on as Smiley and Red, the Singing Sailors. After a short stay in Wheeling, West Virginia at the WWVA Jamboree Sovine worked as a shift supervisor in a stocking factory, before he formed a band, the Echo Valley Boys themselves. In the 1940s Sovine collected with regular appearances in the Old Farm Hour, a live show on WCHS, first experience in show business.
Career as a musician
In his mid 20 Sovine moved to Shreveport, where he played in the sender's KWKH program. There he met Hank Williams know who helped him in 1949 to a new radio show in Alabama and a recording contract with MGM Records. Through his friendship with Williams was Sovine his successor at the Louisiana Hayride, as this moved to the Grand Ole Opry. Sovine then took 28 singles in the style of Hank Williams, which were not very successful, however.
The boost to Sovines career was little later Webb Pierce, a colleague in the Hayride. Sovine Pierce was bandleader and received by him in 1954 a contract with Decca Records. The first success there was the duet single Are You Mine? with Goldie Hill, the future wife of Carl Smith. Even with Pierce Sovine had success when he starred in the successful Single Why Baby Why 1956 and sang. The song reached number one on the Billboard country charts. Had published as Sovine 25 singles with Decca, he moved to Nashville in 1959 to Starday Records and began to tour as a solo artist.
Sovine recommended Charley Pride to move to Nashville and pushed open the doors at the label of Webb Pierce on for the African American singer. Sovine himself could retract 1959-1965 have had little success.
The highlight of the career
1965, Sovine together with songwriter Tommy Hill the idea to Giddy Up Go, his first spoken song. He put himself into a long-established truck driver who finds his lost son after many years, now also rolled out as a trucker on the highways and comes with it via CB radio this week role.
His new-found style accompanied Sovine until the late seventies, and more songs in this genre were phantom 309, Little Joe and Rubber Duck. His biggest hit was Teddy Bear " from 1976, which was published as a call Teddy Bear one-four in Germany by the pop singer Jonny Hill.
Sovine also adopted a version of the by C. W. McCall made to the success of song Convoy on. McCall also hit Roses For Mama was recorded by Sovine, also with a number of sentimental Christmas songs that were very popular.
On April 4, 1980 Red Sovine drove in the car by Nashville, when he suffered a heart attack which had a traffic accident. Sovine died at the age of 61 years at the consequences of the accident.
Effect
Sovine counts next to Dave Dudley, C. W. McCall or Red Simpson to the main Trucker singers and was not only itself successfully as a musician but also strove for other talents when he gave Charley Pride crucial tip for his career. The popularity of Sovines songs finds expression in the fact that, in addition to those of American artists like Ferlin Husky and Boxcar Willie originated in Germany and Australia cover versions of it. Sovine is still very popular with fans of classic country music.