Johnny Carver
Encyclopedia
Johnny Carver is an American country music
artist. Between 1968 and 1977, he charted fifteen Top 40 hits on the Billboard
country charts. His highest-charting single was a cover of Tony Orlando
's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
", a cover that reached #1 for him in 1974. He also had cover success with his version of the Starland Vocal Band
's "Afternoon Delight."
, and sang in a local country gospel quartet with his family. He went on to form his own band, the Capital Cowboys, which were sponsored by an ice-cream company. Carver embarked on his first national tour in 1959, playing at clubs and fairs, and moved to Los Angeles
in 1965, where he made regular appearances on local television and led the house band at the Palomino Club
with such performers as Buck Owens
, Johnny Cash
, Patsy Cline
, Linda Ronstadt
, The Flying Burrito Brothers
, Hoyt Axton
, Willie Nelson
, Merle Haggard
, and Jerry Lee Lewis
.
Carver was discovered by future Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famer, Del Shannon, who got Carver a deal with Imperial Records. His debut single, for Imperial, was "Think About Her All The Time" b / w "One Way Or The Other" (Imperial 66173) in mid-1966. Both sides were written, produced and arranged by Shannon, who was a longtime fan of Country music. Carver's composition "New Lips" was recorded by Roy Drusky
in 1967. His self-titled debut album was released later that year, and contained the minor hit "Your Lily White Hands"; he had a few more modest successes with Country-pop
offerings like 1968's "I Still Didn't Have the Sense to Go" and 1969's "That's Your Hang Up."
and had a major country hit with a version of Tony Orlando and Dawn's
"Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree."
A string of Top 40 country hits followed over the next five years, including the Top Tens "You Really Haven't Changed" (1973), "Don't Tell (That Sweet Old Lady of Mine)" (1974), and another country cover of a pop hit, the Starland Vocal Band's
"Afternoon Delight"
(1976). Carver's last Top 40 hit was 1977's "Living Next Door to Alice,"
and his final charting single was a 1981 cover of ABBA's
"S.O.S." He subsequently became a regular performer in Branson, MO.
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...
artist. Between 1968 and 1977, he charted fifteen Top 40 hits 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...
country charts. His highest-charting single was a cover of Tony Orlando
Tony Orlando
Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis , better known as Tony Orlando, is an American show business professional, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s. Discovered by producer Don Kirshner, Orlando had songs on the charts in 1961 when he was 16, "Halfway to...
's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
Yellow ribbon
The yellow ribbon is used for various symbolic purposes. It is often worn on one's person or tied around a tree in one's front yard.- Earliest Evidence unearthed at Pompeii :...
", a cover that reached #1 for him in 1974. He also had cover success with his version of the Starland Vocal Band
Starland Vocal Band
Starland Vocal Band were an American pop band, known primarily for "Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles in 1976.-Career:The group began as 'Fat City', a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. The band was also composed of Jon Carroll and Margot Chapman...
's "Afternoon Delight."
Afternoon Delight (song)
"Afternoon Delight" is the title of a song recorded by American group, Starland Vocal Band, featuring close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was written by Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. It became a number-one U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single on July 10, 1976...
Early Life & Rise to Fame
Carver grew up in a rural area near Jackson, MSJackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, and sang in a local country gospel quartet with his family. He went on to form his own band, the Capital Cowboys, which were sponsored by an ice-cream company. Carver embarked on his first national tour in 1959, playing at clubs and fairs, and moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1965, where he made regular appearances on local television and led the house band at the Palomino Club
Palomino Club (North Hollywood)
The Palomino Club was a music venue in North Hollywood, called "Country Music's most important West Coast club" by the Los Angeles Times. It featured such performers as Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Buck Owens, Patsy Cline, Delaney Bramlett, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Johnny Carver, Hoyt Axton,...
with such performers as Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
, 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...
, Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
, Hoyt Axton
Hoyt Axton
Hoyt Wayne Axton was an American country music singer-songwriter, and a film and television actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. As he matured, some of his songwriting efforts became well...
, 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...
, 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,...
, and Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
.
Carver was discovered by future Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famer, Del Shannon, who got Carver a deal with Imperial Records. His debut single, for Imperial, was "Think About Her All The Time" b / w "One Way Or The Other" (Imperial 66173) in mid-1966. Both sides were written, produced and arranged by Shannon, who was a longtime fan of Country music. Carver's composition "New Lips" was recorded by Roy Drusky
Roy Drusky
Roy Frank Drusky Jr., was an American country music singer popular from the 1960s through the early 1970s. Known for his baritone voice, he was known for incorporating the Nashville sound. His highest-charting single was the No. 1 "Yes Mr. Peters", a duet with Priscilla Mitchell.-Early life and...
in 1967. His self-titled debut album was released later that year, and contained the minor hit "Your Lily White Hands"; he had a few more modest successes with Country-pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
offerings like 1968's "I Still Didn't Have the Sense to Go" and 1969's "That's Your Hang Up."
Later Career & Success
In 1972, he moved to ABCABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
and had a major country hit with a version of Tony Orlando and Dawn's
Tony Orlando and Dawn
Tony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music group that was popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits include "Candida", "Knock Three Times", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", and "He Don't Love You ".-History:...
"Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree."
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973....
A string of Top 40 country hits followed over the next five years, including the Top Tens "You Really Haven't Changed" (1973), "Don't Tell (That Sweet Old Lady of Mine)" (1974), and another country cover of a pop hit, the Starland Vocal Band's
Starland Vocal Band
Starland Vocal Band were an American pop band, known primarily for "Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles in 1976.-Career:The group began as 'Fat City', a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. The band was also composed of Jon Carroll and Margot Chapman...
"Afternoon Delight"
Afternoon Delight (song)
"Afternoon Delight" is the title of a song recorded by American group, Starland Vocal Band, featuring close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was written by Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. It became a number-one U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single on July 10, 1976...
(1976). Carver's last Top 40 hit was 1977's "Living Next Door to Alice,"
Living Next Door to Alice
"Living Next Door to Alice" is a song co-written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Originally released by the Australian vocal harmony trio New World in 1972, the song charted at # 35 on the Australian chart...
and his final charting single was a 1981 cover of ABBA's
Abba
ABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
"S.O.S." He subsequently became a regular performer in Branson, MO.
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Johnny Carver | — |
| Really Country | — | |
| 1968 | You're in Good Hands with Johnny Carver | 31 |
| 1969 | Leaving Again | 41 |
| 1973 | I Start Thinking About You | — |
| Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree | 8 | |
| 1974 | Double Exposure | 37 |
| Please Don't Tell (That Sweet Ole Lady of Mine) | 23 | |
| 1976 | Afternoon Delight | 28 |
| 1977 | The Best of Johnny Carver | 46 |
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 | |||
| 1968 | "Your Lily White Hands" | 21 | — | You're in Good Hands with Johnny Carver |
| "I Still Didn't Have the Sense to Go" | 48 | — | Leaving Again | |
| 1969 | "Hold Me Tight" | 32 | — | Singles only |
| "Sweet Wine" | 26 | — | ||
| "That's Your Hang Up" | 41 | — | ||
| 1970 | "Willie and the Hand Jive" | 43 | — | |
| "Harvey Harrington IV" | 68 | — | ||
| 1971 | "If You See My Baby" | 73 | — | |
| "If You Think That It's All Right" | 34 | — | I Start Thinking About You | |
| 1972 | "I Start Thinking About You" | 27 | — | |
| "I Want You" | 35 | — | ||
| 1973 | "Yellow Ribbon Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973.... " |
5 | 1 | Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree |
| "You Really Haven't Changed" | 6 | 11 | ||
| 1974 | "Tonight Someone's Falling in Love" | 12 | 19 | |
| "Country Lullabye" | 27 | — | Double Exposure | |
| "Don't Tell (That Sweet Ole Lady of Mine)" | 10 | 47 | Please Don't Tell (That Sweet Ole Lady of Mine) | |
| 1975 | "January Jones" | 39 | — | |
| "Strings" | 64 | — | The Best of Johnny Carver | |
| "Start All Over Again" | 74 | — | Single only | |
| 1976 | "Snap, Crackle and Pop" | 77 | — | Afternoon Delight |
| "Afternoon Delight Afternoon Delight (song) "Afternoon Delight" is the title of a song recorded by American group, Starland Vocal Band, featuring close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was written by Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. It became a number-one U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single on July 10, 1976... " |
9 | 16 | ||
| "Love Is Only Love (When Shared by Two)" | 47 | — | ||
| 1977 | "Sweet City Woman Sweet City Woman Sweet City Woman is a 1971 song by Canadian rock band The Stampeders. The song appeared on their debut album Against the Grain... " |
48 | — | |
| "Living Next Door to Alice Living Next Door to Alice "Living Next Door to Alice" is a song co-written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Originally released by the Australian vocal harmony trio New World in 1972, the song charted at # 35 on the Australian chart... " |
29 | 32 | The Best of Johnny Carver | |
| "Down at the Pool" | 36 | — | Single only | |
| "Apartment" | 72 | — | You're in Good Hands with Johnny Carver | |
| 1980 | "Fingertips" | 90 | — | Singles only |
| 1981 | "S.O.S." | 73 | — | |
Awards
Critical response of Johnny Carver has always been positive. He has been awarded with many honors:- The Arkansas Traveler Award
- The Country Music Association (CMA)Country Music AssociationThe 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...
"Broader Acceptance & Progress of Couuntry Music" Award - The State of Mississippi Executive Department Merit Award
- The Broadcast MusicBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Citation of Achievement Award - Four American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Merit Awards
- Mississippi's First Number One Country Artist
- Mississippi's Annual "Johnny Carver Day" -- August 10
External links
- [ Johnny Carver biography] at Allmusic
- JohnnyCarver.com
- Answers.com