Don King (musician)
Encyclopedia
Donald Alan "Don" King is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and trumpeter. In the 1970s and 1980s, he recorded a total of four major label albums, and charted more than fifteen hit singles on the Billboard
country music charts.
in 1974, where he was able to make valuable connections. He signed with Con Brio Records
and in 1976 his song "Cabin High (In the Blue Ridge Mountains)" placed him on the charts. In 1977 he reached the Top 20 with "I've Got You to Come Home To", after which he released his first album, Dreams 'n Things. His second album, Feelings So Right, (1978) yielded four Top 30 hits. In 1979, the single "Lonely Hotel" reached the Top 40. After two more hits in 1980 he began touring with well-known artists, such as Alabama
, Reba McEntire
, John Anderson
, The Oak Ridge Boys
, Conway Twitty
, and Tammy Wynette
. In 1981, he reached the Top 40 twice, first with his cover
of Johnny Cash
's "I Still Miss Someone
" and then with "The Closer You Get." That same year he released his third album, Whirlwind.
released two albums on King, and in 2008 they released two more many including un-released tracks.
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country music charts.
Early career
His first job was at a Quality Inn Hotel club in NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in 1974, where he was able to make valuable connections. He signed with Con Brio Records
Con Brio Records
Con Brio Records was a record label active from 1975 to 1979 based in Nashville, Tennessee. Jeff Walker was co-founder and Vice President of the label with his father Bill Walker. It was named Billboard Magazine's "Best New Country Label of the Year" in 1977. The main focus of the label was Country...
and in 1976 his song "Cabin High (In the Blue Ridge Mountains)" placed him on the charts. In 1977 he reached the Top 20 with "I've Got You to Come Home To", after which he released his first album, Dreams 'n Things. His second album, Feelings So Right, (1978) yielded four Top 30 hits. In 1979, the single "Lonely Hotel" reached the Top 40. After two more hits in 1980 he began touring with well-known artists, such as Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
, Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
, John Anderson
John Anderson (musician)
John David Anderson is an American country music artist with a successful career that has lasted more than 30 years...
, The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet.The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in southern gospel during the 1950s...
, Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
, and Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
. In 1981, he reached the Top 40 twice, first with his cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
's "I Still Miss Someone
I Still Miss Someone
"I Still Miss Someone" is the title of a song written and originally recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. He first recorded it in 1958 as the b-side to "Don't Take Your Guns to Town".-History:...
" and then with "The Closer You Get." That same year he released his third album, Whirlwind.
Later years
By the end of 1981, he had launched the Don King Music Group, a recording studio, with his father. In 1985 they built a 24-track studio to record demos. In 1992, they added a video production company. In late 2007, GMV NashvilleGMV Nashville
GMV Nashville is a digital record label based in Nashville, TN, founded by Jeff Walker in 2007.- History :Walker founded the label primarily to release digital versions of classic releases from Con Brio Records, which was founded by Walker and his father, Bill Walker...
released two albums on King, and in 2008 they released two more many including un-released tracks.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Dreams 'n Things | 42 | Con Brio Records |
| 1978 | The Feelings So Right | — | |
| 1980 | Lonely Hotel | — | Epic |
| 1981 | Whirlwind | — | |
| 2006 | Hymns of Faith | — | Radio Theatre |
| 2007 | Don King Collection Vol.1 | — | GMV Nashville GMV Nashville GMV Nashville is a digital record label based in Nashville, TN, founded by Jeff Walker in 2007.- History :Walker founded the label primarily to release digital versions of classic releases from Con Brio Records, which was founded by Walker and his father, Bill Walker... |
| Don King Collection Vol.2 | — | ||
| 2008 | Thanks to You | — | |
| Days of You and Me | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Cabin High (In the Blue Ridge Mountains)" | 78 | Dreams and Things |
| 1977 | "I've Got You (To Come Home To)" | 16 | |
| "She's the Girl of My Dreams" | 17 | ||
| "I Must Be Dreaming" | 41 | ||
| 1978 | "Music Is My Woman" | 29 | The Feelings So Right |
| "Don't Make No Promises (You Can't Keep)" | 29 | ||
| "The Feelings So Right Tonight" | 26 | ||
| 1979 | "You Were Worth Waiting For" | 28 | |
| "Live Entertainment" | 39 | ||
| "I've Got Country Music in My Soul" | 73 | ||
| 1980 | "Lonely Hotel" | 40 | Lonely Hotel |
| "Here Comes That Feeling Again" | 32 | ||
| "Take This Heart" | 44 | ||
| 1981 | "I Still Miss Someone I Still Miss Someone "I Still Miss Someone" is the title of a song written and originally recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. He first recorded it in 1958 as the b-side to "Don't Take Your Guns to Town".-History:... " |
38 | Whirlwind |
| "The Closer You Get" | 27 | ||
| 1982 | "Running on Love" | 40 | |
| "Maximum Security (To Minimum Wage)" | 64 | singles only | |
| 1986 | "All We Had Was One Another" | 71 | |
| 1988 | "Can't Stop the Music" | 86 |