Jimmy Swan
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Swan was an American country music
ian.
Swan came from a rural Alabama
farming family; his father abandoned the family when Swan was very young, and he was brought up in Birmingham
. His mother died in the late 1920s, and he was destitute for most of his teenage years. At age 15, he won a talent show at an Alabama radio station, but didn't make anything of it at first. He married at age 17 and quickly had several children, and was unable to put together a band until the beginning of the 1940s. In 1944 he met Hank Locklin
, and occasionally had Hank Williams play with him.
He moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi
and worked in local radio as well as the honky tonk
circuit. Disappointed with the drunken, violent lifestyle of honky tonk bars, he quit music to become a disc jockey
in 1948, returning only in 1952 after an offer from Trumpet Records
. Swan saw success with "I Had a Dream" and "The Last Letter", the latter a tribute to Hank Williams, who had died in 1953. He signed with MGM Records
and was groomed to be a successor act to Hank Williams, but he chafed at the more pop-oriented music the label wanted him to record in favor of a more hillbilly music sound. One of Swan's biggest nationwide hits was his single "Good and Lonesome" written by Bobby Enlow a guitarist and songwriter from Foxworth, Mississippi and one of Swan's band members. The song Good and Lonesome was written by Enlow for his sweetheart and future wife Billie Jean Kennedy who lived a few counties over in Magnolia, MS. Bobby Enlow recorded into the 1960s but quickly fell from national view after suffering a broken neck in an automobile accident that left him paralyzed for six months. After that Enlow did regain his musical talent but not his desire to play music seven nights a week. The end of the Swann/Enlow partnership was coming to an end.
Swan also fell from the national stage and in Swan's later life, he retired from music completely and went into politics
, running for sheriff
of Hattiesburg and then running for governor of Mississippi in 1966, which he lost.
Swan's first issue on CD was with Bear Family Records
in 1993.
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...
ian.
Swan came from a rural Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
farming family; his father abandoned the family when Swan was very young, and he was brought up in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. His mother died in the late 1920s, and he was destitute for most of his teenage years. At age 15, he won a talent show at an Alabama radio station, but didn't make anything of it at first. He married at age 17 and quickly had several children, and was unable to put together a band until the beginning of the 1940s. In 1944 he met Hank Locklin
Hank Locklin
Lawrence Hankins Locklin , better known as Hank Locklin, was an American country music singer-songwriter...
, and occasionally had Hank Williams play with him.
He moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Forrest County...
and worked in local radio as well as the honky tonk
Honky tonk
A honky-tonk is a type of bar that provides musical entertainment to its patrons...
circuit. Disappointed with the drunken, violent lifestyle of honky tonk bars, he quit music to become 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...
in 1948, returning only in 1952 after an offer from Trumpet Records
Trumpet Records
Trumpet Records was a recording company started by Henry and Lillian McMurry in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951.-History of Trumpet Records:The goal of Trumpet Records was to provide a means of recording some of the most popular combos in the Mississippi Delta region that were going unrecorded because...
. Swan saw success with "I Had a Dream" and "The Last Letter", the latter a tribute to Hank Williams, who had died in 1953. He signed with MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
and was groomed to be a successor act to Hank Williams, but he chafed at the more pop-oriented music the label wanted him to record in favor of a more hillbilly music sound. One of Swan's biggest nationwide hits was his single "Good and Lonesome" written by Bobby Enlow a guitarist and songwriter from Foxworth, Mississippi and one of Swan's band members. The song Good and Lonesome was written by Enlow for his sweetheart and future wife Billie Jean Kennedy who lived a few counties over in Magnolia, MS. Bobby Enlow recorded into the 1960s but quickly fell from national view after suffering a broken neck in an automobile accident that left him paralyzed for six months. After that Enlow did regain his musical talent but not his desire to play music seven nights a week. The end of the Swann/Enlow partnership was coming to an end.
Swan also fell from the national stage and in Swan's later life, he retired from music completely and went into politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, running for sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Hattiesburg and then running for governor of Mississippi in 1966, which he lost.
Swan's first issue on CD was with Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks.-History:...
in 1993.
Discography
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Juke Joint Mama / I Had A Dream | Trumpet Records |
| 1952 | Triflin’ On Me / I Love You Too Much | Trumpet Records |
| 1953 | The Last Letter / The Little Church | MGM Records |
| 1953 | Losers Weepers / Mark Of Shame | Trumpet Records |
| 1954 | Lonesome Daddy Blues / One More Time | Trumpet Records |
| 1955 | Frost On My Roof / It’s Your Turn To Cry | MGM Records |
| 1956 | Hey, Baby Baby / Why Did You Change Your Mind? | MGM Records |
| 1956 | Country Cattin’ / The Way That You’re Living | MGM Records |
| 1957 | Lonesome Man / Lonesome and Good | MGM Records |
| 1960 | No One Loves A Broken Heart / Don’t Conceal Your Wedding Ring | Decca Records |
| 1965 | Honky Tonkin’ / I Love You Too Much | JB Records |
| 1965 | Rattlesnake Daddy / It Takes A Lonesome Man | JB Records |
| 1966 | Walkin’ My Dog / Asleep In The Deep | JB Records |
| 1968 | Good and Lonesome / Why Did You Change Your Mind? | Big Howdy Records |