[ Post a Response | JIM REEVES FAN FORUM ]
Posted by Don Streeter
on October 16, 2008, 9:48 pm
69.223.44.51
To All,
First, condolences to Larry, Julie and the rest of the Jordan family on the loss of Larry's mother Olga, ironically the day after my Mom's birthday anniversary and the record date for Jim's biggest hit, "He'll Have To Go." It's also ironic that my father in law was singing along with that song the day before he died as it was on a Best of the Best of Jim Reeves Cassette, which along with a Portable Stereo Cassette player was the last Christmas present we were able to give him before he died. I guess that they both had to go and did so the day after something happened relating to Jim's song.
We also got a surprize in the mail yesterday as the most recent issue of Country Weekly, dated 10/20/08 arrived and on Page 9 there is an article which is entitled "Battle" Wins the Day, that lists the Top 10 Country Crossover Hits (since 1958) that were on the Billboard Pop Hot 100 and the Hot Country Singles Chart as well. According to the article this year is the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart, and to mark the ocassion they put out a list of the top 10 Country songs that have also appeared on that chart since its inception and the Hot Country Singles Chart as well. The Country Crossover countdown from the aformentioned article is as follows:
1. "Battle of New Orleans" - Johnny Horton (1959)
2. "Lady" - Kenny Rogers (1980)
3. "You're Still The One" - Shania Twain (1997)
4. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" - Elvis Presley w/the Jordaniares (1960)
5. "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" - B.J. Thomas (1969)
6. "Rhinestone Cowboy" - Glen Campbell (1975)
7. "Breathe" - Faith Hill (1999)
8. "Tom Dooley" - The Kingston Trio (1958)
9. "Big Bad John" - Jimmy Dean (1961)
10. "He'll Have To Go" - Jim Reeves (1959)
Jim's song on the list, released by RCA late in 1959, was one of the biggest songs of 1960 in all of music (it sold over 3.5 Million in the U.S. and over 4 million world wide, and spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Pop chart peaking at #2 (5 weeks at that position - it couldn't get around Percy Faith's Theme From a Summer Place)). It was also #1 for 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot C & W Sides Chart (now known as the Hot Country Singles Chart) knocking Marty Robbins' El Paso off the top spot the week ending Feb 7th, 1960. We now know also that "He'll Have To Go" is the #10 Country Crossover song of all the time the current Billboard Hot 100 Pop chart has been in existence.
Also as I mentioned earlier yesterday, Wednesday Oct 15th (my Mom's bithday anniversary - she would have been 92 if she were still with us) was the 49th anniversary of the date "He'll Have To Go" was recorded in 1959, along with the original A side of the record that Johnny Russell also made a fortune on. That song, "In A Mansion Stands My Love" also made Johnny Russell rich because of the record's huge sales volume and the fact that he had a writer's cut of the royalities for his song being on the same 45 rpm record as He'll Have to Go. Jim also recorded Ned Miller's song "Snowflake" that day, which became a hit early in 1966 as it wasn't released until just after Christmas in 1965 and it spent 16 weeks in the top 40 and reached #2 on the Bilboard Hot Country Singles Chart in early 1966.
Sincerely,
Don
Responses:
TO RETURN TO THE JIM REEVES WAY, CLICK ON JIM'S NAME AT TOP OF PAGE