Jerry Wallace
Encyclopedia
Jerry Wallace was an American country
and pop
singer. Between 1958 and 1964, Wallace charted nine hits on the Billboard Hot 100
, including the #8 "Primrose Lane." He made his debut on the country music charts in 1965, entering it thirty-five times between then and 1980. In that timespan, Wallace charted within the country Top Ten four times. His only number one song was "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry
," a song which gained popularity after it was used in an episode of the 1970s TV series Night Gallery
.
, Missouri
.
From June 1957 through June 1958 Hollywood, Calif. based Challenge Records, founded by Gene Autry, issued three discs with songs by Wallace. Half of the songs have been evaluated as being done in a style now known as rockabilly.
His better-known song
s include "How the Time Flies" (1958), "Primrose Lane" (1959, written
by Wayne Shanklin
), "Shutters And Boards" (1963, written by American Movie actor Audie Murphy and Canadian song producer Scott Turner), "In The Misty Moonlight" (1964) and (1970, his biggest selling single
that was released in Japan
only). "Primrose Lane" was his biggest hit, reaching #8 pop and #12 R&B in the US, selling over one million copies and awarded a gold disc
. After his song "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry
" was featured in the 1972 Night Gallery
episode "The Tune in Dan's Cafe," and the song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard
magazine Hot Country Singles chart that August, spending two weeks at the top of the chart
, crossing to #38 pop. "How The Time Flies" was Wallace's first big hit, reaching #11 pop and #11 R&B.
In 1972, he gained nomination for the Country Music Association
Award as Male Vocalist of the Year, and his song "To Get To You" gained nomination for Single of the Year.
Wallace died on May 5, 2008 in Corona, California
, after suffering congestive heart failure
.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer. Between 1958 and 1964, Wallace charted nine hits on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, including the #8 "Primrose Lane." He made his debut on the country music charts in 1965, entering it thirty-five times between then and 1980. In that timespan, Wallace charted within the country Top Ten four times. His only number one song was "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry
If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry
"If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry" is a song made famous by country music singer Jerry Wallace. Originally released in 1972, the song became the only number-one song during Wallace's recording career....
," a song which gained popularity after it was used in an episode of the 1970s TV series Night Gallery
Night Gallery
Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
.
Biography
Wallace was born in GuilfordGuilford, Missouri
Guilford is a village in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States, near the Platte River. The population was 87 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town. It is served by the South Nodaway R-IV School District, and is home of the elementary school...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
From June 1957 through June 1958 Hollywood, Calif. based Challenge Records, founded by Gene Autry, issued three discs with songs by Wallace. Half of the songs have been evaluated as being done in a style now known as rockabilly.
His better-known song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s include "How the Time Flies" (1958), "Primrose Lane" (1959, written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Wayne Shanklin
Wayne Shanklin
Wayne Shanklin was an American music performer, composer, arranger, and producer....
), "Shutters And Boards" (1963, written by American Movie actor Audie Murphy and Canadian song producer Scott Turner), "In The Misty Moonlight" (1964) and (1970, his biggest selling single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
that was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
only). "Primrose Lane" was his biggest hit, reaching #8 pop and #12 R&B in the US, selling over one million copies and awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. After his song "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry
If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry
"If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry" is a song made famous by country music singer Jerry Wallace. Originally released in 1972, the song became the only number-one song during Wallace's recording career....
" was featured in the 1972 Night Gallery
Night Gallery
Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although...
episode "The Tune in Dan's Cafe," and the song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard
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...
magazine Hot Country Singles chart that August, spending two weeks at the top of the chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, crossing to #38 pop. "How The Time Flies" was Wallace's first big hit, reaching #11 pop and #11 R&B.
In 1972, he gained nomination for the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
Award as Male Vocalist of the Year, and his song "To Get To You" gained nomination for Single of the Year.
Wallace died on May 5, 2008 in Corona, California
Corona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...
, after suffering congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1959 | Just Jerry | — | — | Challenge |
| 1961 | There She Goes | — | — | |
| 1962 | Shutters and Boards | — | — | |
| 1964 | In the Misty Moonlight | — | 96 | |
| 1968 | This One's On the House | 35 | — | Liberty |
| Another Time, Another World | 31 | — | ||
| Sweet Child of Sunshine | 35 | — | ||
| 1972 | This Is Jerry Wallace | 7 | — | Decca |
| To Get to You | 1 | — | ||
| 1973 | Do You Know What It's Like to Be Lonesome? | 6 | 179 | MCA |
| Primrose Lane / Don't Give Up On Me | 1 | — | ||
| 1974 | For Wives and Lovers | 31 | — | |
| I Wonder Whose Baby (You Are Now) / Make Hay While the Sun Shines |
45 | — | ||
| 1975 | Greatest Hits | 39 | — | MGM |
| 1976 | Jerry Wallace | 41 | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
CAN Country | CAN | |||
| 1958 | "How the Time Flies" | — | 11 | 11 | — | — | Just Jerry |
| "Diamond Ring" | — | 78 | — | — | — | ||
| 1959 | "A Touch of Pink" | — | 92 | — | — | — | single only |
| "Primrose Lane" | — | 8 | 12 | — | — | There She Goes | |
| 1960 | "Little Coco Palm" | — | 36 | — | — | — | single only |
| "Swingin' Down the Lane" | — | 79 | — | — | — | There She Goes | |
| 1961 | "There She Goes" | — | 26 | — | — | — | |
| "Life's a Holiday" | — | 91 | — | — | — | Shutters and Boards | |
| 1963 | "Shutters and Boards" | — | 24 | — | — | — | |
| 1964 | "In the Misty Moonlight"A | — | 19 | — | — | 35 | In the Misty Moonlight |
| 1965 | "Life's Gone and Slipped Away" | 23 | — | — | — | — | singles only |
| 1966 | "Diamonds and Horseshoes" | 45 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Wallpaper Roses" | 43 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Not That I Care" | 44 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "This One's On the House" | 36 | — | — | — | — | This One's On the House |
| 1968 | "Another Time, Another Place, Another World" | 69 | — | — | — | — | Another Time, Another World |
| "Sweet Child of Sunshine" | 22 | — | — | — | — | Sweet Child of Sunshine | |
| 1969 | "Son" | 69 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Swiss Cottage Place" | 71 | — | — | — | — | singles only | |
| 1970 | "Even the Bad Times Are Good" | 74 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | "After You" | 22 | — | — | — | — | This Is Jerry Wallace |
| "She'll Remember" | 51 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "The Morning After" | 19 | — | — | 39 | — | ||
| 1972 | "To Get to You" | 12 | 48 | — | 8 | — | To Get to You |
| "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry" is a song made famous by country music singer Jerry Wallace. Originally released in 1972, the song became the only number-one song during Wallace's recording career.... " |
1 | 38 | — | 3 | 38 | ||
| "Thanks to You for Lovin' Me" | 66 | — | — | — | — | single only | |
| 1973 | "Do You Know What It's Like to Be Lonesome" | 2 | — | — | 4 | — | Do You Know What It's Like to Be Lonsome? |
| "Sound of Goodbye" | 21 | — | — | 16 | — | ||
| "The Song Nobody Sings" | flip | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Don't Give Up on Me" | 3 | — | — | 12 | — | Primrose Lane / Don't Give Up On Me | |
| 1974 | "Guess Who" | 18 | — | — | 44 | — | For Wives and Lovers |
| "My Wife's House" | 9 | — | — | 3 | — | ||
| "I Wonder Whose Baby (You Are Now)" | 20 | — | — | 47 | — | I Wonder Whose Baby (You Are Now) / Make Hay While the Sun Shines |
|
| 1975 | "Comin' Home to You" | 32 | — | — | — | — | single only |
| "Wanted Man" | 41 | — | — | — | — | Jerry Wallace | |
| "Georgia Rain" | 70 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "I Miss You Already" | 26 | — | — | — | — | singles only |
| "I'll Promise You Tomorrow" | 28 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "At the End of a Rainbow" | 24 | — | — | — | — | |
| "My Last Sad Song" | 64 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Wanna Go to Heaven" | 38 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Yours Love" | 67 | — | — | — | — | |
| "You've Still Got Me" | 68 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Cling to Me" | 56 | — | — | — | — | |
| "If I Could Set My Love to Music" | 80 | — | — | — | — |
- A"In the Misty Moonlight" also peaked at #2 on the Hot Adult Contemporary TracksHot Adult Contemporary TracksThe Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart.