Jim Lowe
Encyclopedia
Jim Lowe is an American
singer-songwriter
, best known for his 1956 number-one
hit record, "The Green Door". He also served as a disc jockey
and radio host and personality, and has been considered an expert on the popular music
of the 1940s and 1950s.
, Lowe graduated from the University of Missouri
in Columbia
.
His most notable run as a disc jockey was with WNEW-AM
in New York
. Lowe also worked at WNBC-AM in New York where he was heard both locally and on the coast-to-coast NBC Radio weekend program Monitor
.
A million-seller and gold record
recipient, Lowe's 1956 hit "Green Door" was written by Marvin Moore and Bob Davie
. The song reached No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart
in November 1956. Lowe earlier wrote "Gambler's Guitar", a million-selling hit for Rusty Draper
in 1953.
He retired in 2004 at the age of 77, and lives in Southampton, New York
.
For contributions to the music industry, Lowe was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6341 Hollywood Boulevard
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, best known for his 1956 number-one
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....
hit record, "The Green Door". He also served as a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and radio host and personality, and has been considered an expert on the popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
of the 1940s and 1950s.
Biography
Born in Springfield, MissouriSpringfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, Lowe graduated from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
.
His most notable run as a disc jockey was with WNEW-AM
WBBR
WBBR is a radio station broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. It airs Bloomberg Radio, a service of Bloomberg L.P. WBBR's format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market updates and interviews with corporate executives,...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Lowe also worked at WNBC-AM in New York where he was heard both locally and on the coast-to-coast NBC Radio weekend program Monitor
Monitor (NBC Radio)
NBC Monitor was an American weekend radio program broadcast from June 12, 1955, until January 26, 1975. Airing live and nationwide on the NBC Radio Network, it originally aired beginning Saturday morning at 8am and continuing through the weekend until 12 midnight on Sunday...
.
A million-seller and gold record
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,...
recipient, Lowe's 1956 hit "Green Door" was written by Marvin Moore and Bob Davie
Bob Davie (songwriter)
Bob Davie is an orchestra leader, pianist, and composer of popular music.He composed the song "The Green Door", and led the orchestra which backed Jim Lowe on the best-selling version of the song in 1956.- References :...
. The song reached No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in November 1956. Lowe earlier wrote "Gambler's Guitar", a million-selling hit for Rusty Draper
Rusty Draper
Farrell H. "Rusty" Draper was an American country and pop singer, who achieved his greatest success in the 1950s....
in 1953.
He retired in 2004 at the age of 77, and lives in Southampton, New York
Southampton (village), New York
Southampton is a village in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The village is named after the Earl of Southampton. The Village of Southampton is in the southeast part of the county in the Town of Southampton...
.
For contributions to the music industry, Lowe was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6341 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
.