Johnny Bush
Encyclopedia
Johnny Bush, born February 17, 1935 as John Bush Shinn III in Houston, Texas
, is a country music
singer, songwriter
, and drummer
. Bush, nicknamed the "Country Caruso," is best-known for his distinctive voice and as the writer of "Whiskey River," a top-ten hit for himself and Willie Nelson's
signature song. He is still popular in his native Texas.
music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and the honky-tonk sounds of artists like Ernest Tubb
, Lefty Frizzell
and Hank Thompson. Thanks to a disc jockey uncle, Bush got a taste for performance. In 1952 he moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he began solo career in area honky-tonks like the Texas Star Inn before switching to drums
. It was during this period that he earned his stage name, when an announcer mistakenly introduced him as "Johnny Bush." As a drummer he worked for bands like the Mission City Playboys, the Texas Plainsmen and the Texas Top Hands.
In 1963, Bush joined Ray Price's
band, the Cherokee Cowboys along with a young Willie Nelson
and Darrell McCall. His association with Price led Bush to Nashville and a contract to sing for record demos. He also played in Nelson's band, the Record Men. With Nelson's financial backing, Bush recorded his first album in 1967, The Sound of a Heartache.
"You Gave Me a Mountain
", "Undo the Right", "What A Way To Live" and "I'll Be There", soon followed. Rock critic Robert Christgau
said that Bush's version of "You Gave Me A Mountain" "brings a catch to the throat and a tear to the eye." These songs did well in Bush's native Texas, and reached the national top twenty. In 1972 he was signed to RCA Records
, whose Nashville division was helmed by legendary guitarist Chet Atkins
. His first RCA single, "Whiskey River," was climbing the charts with airplay on countless radio stations when his voice began faltering. Bush even felt he was being punished by God for his sins. Bush has since said: "I thought because of my promiscuous behavior and bad choices and being raised as a Baptist, that it was a punishment from God."
Bush lost half of his vocal range and was sometimes unable to talk. RCA dropped him in 1974 after three albums, he developed a drug habit, and was often stricken with performance anxiety when he was able to perform at all. After several misdiagnoses, doctors diagnosed the cause in 1978, when they discovered he had a rare neurological disorder called spasmodic dysphonia
. Although this did not prevent him from recording, Bush's career began to take a downturn. He worked with a vocal coach in 1985, and was able to regain seventy percent of his original voice.
, recording a successful honky-tonk album Hot Texas Country, and began assembling a large country band (as did Willie Nelson), performing around south Texas. In 1994 the band released Time Changes Everything, the same year that RCA released a greatest hits album. A major tour soon followed. Johnny Bush continues to tour regularly, often performing with Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
.
Several albums on local Texas labels soon followed. His renewed visibility made him a mentor figure to younger Texas musicians who revered the honky-tonk/hardcore country sound that Bush has done so much to keep in the public eye. Austin musicians like Dale Watson
and Cornell Hurd sought him out to play on their albums. In 2003, he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame with his life-long friend Willie Nelson on hand to induct him. In 2007 he released his autobiography, with the aide of Rick Mitchell: Whiskey River (Take My Mind): The True Story of Texas Honky Tonk, published by University of Texas Press
. A new album, Kashmere Garden Mud: A Tribute to Houston’s Country Soul was released on the Icehouse label at the same time.
With the success of his recent Botox treatments for his vocal condition, and his successful career revival, Bush is a spokesman for people afflicted with vocal disorders. In 2002 he was honored in 2002 with the Annie Glenn Award, named for the wife of the John Glenn
, by the National Council of Communicative Disorders for his work in bringing attention to the condition of spasmodic dysphonia.
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, is a country music
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...
singer, songwriter
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...
, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
. Bush, nicknamed the "Country Caruso," is best-known for his distinctive voice and as the writer of "Whiskey River," a top-ten hit for himself and Willie Nelson's
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
signature song. He is still popular in his native Texas.
Biography and early career
Born John Bush Shinn III in the blue-collar neighborhood of Kashmere Gardens in Houston, Texas, Bush listened to the western swingWestern swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and the honky-tonk sounds of artists like Ernest Tubb
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
, Lefty Frizzell
Lefty Frizzell
Lefty Frizzell , born William Orville Frizzell, was an American country music singer and songwriter of the 1950s, and a proponent of honky tonk music. His relaxed style of singing was an influence on later stars Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, George Jones and John Fogerty...
and Hank Thompson. Thanks to a disc jockey uncle, Bush got a taste for performance. In 1952 he moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he began solo career in area honky-tonks like the Texas Star Inn before switching to drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. It was during this period that he earned his stage name, when an announcer mistakenly introduced him as "Johnny Bush." As a drummer he worked for bands like the Mission City Playboys, the Texas Plainsmen and the Texas Top Hands.
In 1963, Bush joined Ray Price's
Ray Price (musician)
Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
band, the Cherokee Cowboys along with a young Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
and Darrell McCall. His association with Price led Bush to Nashville and a contract to sing for record demos. He also played in Nelson's band, the Record Men. With Nelson's financial backing, Bush recorded his first album in 1967, The Sound of a Heartache.
Stardom and vocal problems
A series of regional hits on the Stop label, including Marty Robbins'sMarty Robbins
Martin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
"You Gave Me a Mountain
You Gave Me a Mountain
"You Gave Me a Mountain" is a song written by country singer-songwriter Marty Robbins during the 1960s. It has been recorded by many artists, including Robbins himself, but the highest-charting version of the song was by Frankie Laine in 1969...
", "Undo the Right", "What A Way To Live" and "I'll Be There", soon followed. Rock critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
said that Bush's version of "You Gave Me A Mountain" "brings a catch to the throat and a tear to the eye." These songs did well in Bush's native Texas, and reached the national top twenty. In 1972 he was signed to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, whose Nashville division was helmed by legendary guitarist Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
. His first RCA single, "Whiskey River," was climbing the charts with airplay on countless radio stations when his voice began faltering. Bush even felt he was being punished by God for his sins. Bush has since said: "I thought because of my promiscuous behavior and bad choices and being raised as a Baptist, that it was a punishment from God."
Bush lost half of his vocal range and was sometimes unable to talk. RCA dropped him in 1974 after three albums, he developed a drug habit, and was often stricken with performance anxiety when he was able to perform at all. After several misdiagnoses, doctors diagnosed the cause in 1978, when they discovered he had a rare neurological disorder called spasmodic dysphonia
Spasmodic dysphonia
Spasmodic dysphonia is a voice disorder characterized by involuntary movements of one or more muscles of the larynx during speech.- Types of spasmodic dysphonia :...
. Although this did not prevent him from recording, Bush's career began to take a downturn. He worked with a vocal coach in 1985, and was able to regain seventy percent of his original voice.
Renaissance in Texas
In 1986, Bush teamed up with Darrell McCallDarrell McCall
Darrell McCall is a country music performer, known for his honky tonk and traditional country musical style at the height of his career in the 1960s, and his return to popularity during the Outlaw country era in the late 1970s....
, recording a successful honky-tonk album Hot Texas Country, and began assembling a large country band (as did Willie Nelson), performing around south Texas. In 1994 the band released Time Changes Everything, the same year that RCA released a greatest hits album. A major tour soon followed. Johnny Bush continues to tour regularly, often performing with Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
.
Several albums on local Texas labels soon followed. His renewed visibility made him a mentor figure to younger Texas musicians who revered the honky-tonk/hardcore country sound that Bush has done so much to keep in the public eye. Austin musicians like Dale Watson
Dale Watson
Dale L. Watson is the former Assistant Director for the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI, as such he headed the FBI investigation into the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2001 anthrax attacks.-Education:...
and Cornell Hurd sought him out to play on their albums. In 2003, he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame with his life-long friend Willie Nelson on hand to induct him. In 2007 he released his autobiography, with the aide of Rick Mitchell: Whiskey River (Take My Mind): The True Story of Texas Honky Tonk, published by University of Texas Press
University of Texas Press
The University of Texas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly books in several areas, including Latin American studies, Texana, anthropology, U.S...
. A new album, Kashmere Garden Mud: A Tribute to Houston’s Country Soul was released on the Icehouse label at the same time.
With the success of his recent Botox treatments for his vocal condition, and his successful career revival, Bush is a spokesman for people afflicted with vocal disorders. In 2002 he was honored in 2002 with the Annie Glenn Award, named for the wife of the John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, by the National Council of Communicative Disorders for his work in bringing attention to the condition of spasmodic dysphonia.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Sound of a Heartache | 38 | Stop |
| Undo the Right | 22 | ||
| 1969 | You Gave Me a Mountain | 29 | |
| 1970 | Johnny Bush | — | |
| 1972 | Bush Country | — | |
| The Best of Johnny Bush | 35 | Million | |
| Here's Johnny Bush | — | Starday | |
| 1973 | Here Comes the World Again | — | RCA |
| Texas Dance Hall Girl | — | ||
| Whiskey River/There Stands the Glass | 38 | ||
| 1979 | Johnny Bush and the Bandoleros Live at Dance Town, U.S.A. |
— | Whiskey River |
| 1982 | Live from Texas | — | Delta |
| 1994 | Time Changes Everything | — | TCE |
| 1998 | Talk to My Heart | — | Watermelon |
| 2000 | Lost Highway Saloon | — | Texas Music |
| Sings Bob Wills | — | ||
| 2001 | Green Snakes | — | |
| 2004 | Honkytonic | — | BGM |
| 2006 | Texas State of Mind | — | |
| Devil's Disciple | — | ||
| 2007 | Texas on a Saturday Night | — | Heart of Texas |
| Kashmere Gardens Mud | — | Icehouse |
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... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1967 | "You Oughta Hear Me Cry" | 69 | — | Sound of a Heartache |
| 1968 | "What a Way to Live" | 29 | — | Undo the Right |
| "Undo the Right" | 10 | — | ||
| 1969 | "Each Time" | 16 | — | You Gave Me a Mountain |
| "You Gave Me a Mountain You Gave Me a Mountain "You Gave Me a Mountain" is a song written by country singer-songwriter Marty Robbins during the 1960s. It has been recorded by many artists, including Robbins himself, but the highest-charting version of the song was by Frankie Laine in 1969... " |
7 | — | ||
| "My Cup Runneth Over" | 26 | — | Bush Country | |
| 1970 | "Jim, Jack, and Rose" | 56 | — | |
| "I'll Go to a Stranger" | flip | — | ||
| "Warmth of the Wine" | 25 | 42 | The Best | |
| "My Joy" | 44 | — | ||
| 1971 | "City Lights City Lights (Bill Anderson song) "City Lights" is an American country music song written by Bill Anderson. It twice became a No. 1 hit — in 1958 and again in 1975.Ray Price recorded the original version in 1958, with his version becoming a long-running No. 1 hit. Mickey Gilley recorded a cover version in 1974, and his version also... " |
53 | — | |
| 1972 | "I'll Be There" | 17 | — | |
| "Whiskey River Whiskey River "Whiskey River" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Bush. He released the song in 1972 through RCA Victor and included it on his album Whiskey River... " |
14 | 7 | Whiskey River/There Stands the Glass | |
| 1973 | "There Stands the Glass There Stands the Glass "There Stands the Glass" is a country song that was written by Russ Hull, Mary Jean Shurtz and Audrey Greisham, and was a hit for Webb Pierce in 1953. It was Pierce's fifth release to hit number one on the country charts... " |
34 | 60 | |
| "Here Comes the World Again" | 38 | 53 | Here Comes the World | |
| "Green Snakes on the Ceiling" | 53 | — | ||
| 1974 | "We're Back in Love Again" | 37 | 83 | Greatest Hits |
| "Toy Telephone" | 48 | — | ||
| "From Tennessee to Texas" | flip | — | ||
| 1977 | "You'll Never Leave Me Completely" | 78 | — | Single only |
| 1978 | "Put Me Out of My Memory" | 99 | — | Whiskey River |
| "She Just Made Me Love You More" | 89 | — | Single only | |
| 1979 | "When My Conscience Hurts the Most" | 83 | — | Whiskey River |
| 1981 | "Whiskey River" (re-release) | 92 | — |
External links
- Johnny Bush's Official Website
- [ Johnny Bush] at Allmusic
- Johnny Bush at CMTCMT- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
- Johnny Bush at Lone Star MusicLone Star MusicLone Star Music, also called LSM, is a New Braunfels, Texas-based music company which operates a website drawing half a million visitors a month, as well as a retail outlet in Gruene.-Founding:...