Misty Blue
Encyclopedia
'"Misty Blue"' is a song written by Bob Montgomery
in 1966 which has become a hit in the pop
, C&W
and soul
fields through various versions, the most successful being the 1976
pop/soul hit by Dorothy Moore
.
; he recalls: "I wrote 'Misty Blue' in about twenty minutes. It was a gift and it was perfect for Brenda Lee, but she turned it down. Her producer Owen Bradley
loved the song and as he couldn’t push her to do it, he cut it country style with Wilma Burgess
." Burgess recorded the song in a 24 March 1966 session at the Columbia Recording Studio in South Nashville; after another track from the same session, "Don't Touch Me", was released to become a #12 C&W
hit that summer, "Misty Blue" was released in October 1966 to spend most of December 1966 and January–February 1967 in the C&W Top Ten with a peak of #4 becoming Burgess' career record.
Eddy Arnold
recorded "Misty Blue" in a Chet Atkins
-produced session at the RCA Victor Studio on 20 April 1966; included on the June 1966 album release The Last Word in Lonesome, Arnold's "Misty Blue" had a belated single release in May 1967 to introduce The Best of Eddy Arnold compilation album. Besides virtually matching Burgess' success with the song—Arnold's version peaking at C&W #3—Arnold's "Misty Blue" became the first version of the song to crossover
to the pop field reaching #57 on the Billboard Hot 100
in June 1967 and rising as high as #3 Easy Listening: the single's pop chart peaks in Cash Box and Record World
were respectively #20 and #48.
Billie Jo Spears
had a #5 C&W hit with "Misty Blue" in 1976 after the Dorothy Moore pop/soul hit version had revived interest in the song.
which while not one of his biggest R&B hits at #47 did return "Misty Blue" to the Hot 100 at #91 (Cash Box #62).
In 1973 Dorothy Moore
recorded "Misty Blue" at Malaco Records
in Jackson, Mississippi
, cutting her vocal in a single take. http://bluescritic.com/dorothymooreinterview.htm The recording was made for Malaco then a production company who were unable to successfully shop the track to a label. At Thanksgiving 1975 the cash-strapped Malaco used the last of its resources to press Moore's "Misty Blue" and release it on the Malaco
label.
http://www.malaco.com/story.php Moore's single broke in the southern states in April 1976 and was #1 in Washington, D.C.
that May: in the summer of 1976 the single reached #2 R&B with a Pop peak of #3. "Misty Blue" was also a UK hit reaching #5 there on the chart dated for the week of 8 August 1976.http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=7073 Moore's single also achieved hit status in Australia (#5), Canada (#4), New Zealand (#4) and South Africa (#11).http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(M).html Moore's version is included on the soundtrack of the 1996 movie Phenomenon
and also the 2008 movie Made of Honor
.
, Claude Gray
, Ferlin Husky
, David Houston
, Cristy Lane
, Reba McEntire
, George Morgan
, Lorrie Morgan
, Johnny Paycheck
and T. G. Sheppard
. In 1967 "Misty Blue" served as the title cut for an album of C&W songs by Ella Fitzgerald
.
R&B versions of "Misty Blue" include versions by Monica
and Mary J. Blige
which virtually replicate the Dorothy Moore rendition, and also by LaVern Baker
, Boyz II Men
, Miki Howard
and Barbara Lynn
. The 2007 Prince
live album Indigo Nights
featured a version of "Misty Blue" with Shelby J as vocalist. Shelby J also performs this song live frequently at Prince concerts.
In 2002 UK electronic trio Amillionsons released a song which heavily sampled the track entitled "Misti Blu" which reached #39 UK.
http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=9983
The 1989 Connie Francis
album Where the Hits Are, a Malaco release composed mostly of new versions of Francis' own hits, featured her version of "Misty Blue" as well as "Old Time Rock 'N' Roll
" and "Torn Between Two Lovers
" which like "Misty Blue" were hits recorded at Muscle Shoals, where Where the Hits Are was recorded. Jann Arden
, Brian Conley
, Sheena Easton
, Engelbert Humperdinck
, Leon Jackson
, Jim Nabors
and Bobby Vinton
have also recorded "Misty Blue".
Bob Montgomery (musician)
Bob Montgomery is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer/publisher.Montgomery was born in Lampasas, Texas. He was a songwriting partner and best friend of Buddy Holly, performing together as the duo "Buddy and Bob" while teenagers in high school...
in 1966 which has become a hit in the 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...
, C&W
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 soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
fields through various versions, the most successful being the 1976
1976 in music
-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....
pop/soul hit by Dorothy Moore
Dorothy Moore
Dorothy Moore is an American pop, R&B, and soul singer best known for her 1976 hit song, "Misty Blue".-Career:...
.
C&W hit versions
Montgomery wrote the song for Brenda LeeBrenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
; he recalls: "I wrote 'Misty Blue' in about twenty minutes. It was a gift and it was perfect for Brenda Lee, but she turned it down. Her producer Owen Bradley
Owen Bradley
Owen Bradley was an American record producer who, along with Chet Atkins and Bob Ferguson, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sound in country music and rockabilly.-Before the fame:...
loved the song and as he couldn’t push her to do it, he cut it country style with Wilma Burgess
Wilma Burgess
Wilma Burgess was an American country music singer. She rose to fame in the mid 1960s and charted fifteen singles on the Billboard C&W charts between 1965 and 1975.-Background:...
." Burgess recorded the song in a 24 March 1966 session at the Columbia Recording Studio in South Nashville; after another track from the same session, "Don't Touch Me", was released to become a #12 C&W
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...
hit that summer, "Misty Blue" was released in October 1966 to spend most of December 1966 and January–February 1967 in the C&W Top Ten with a peak of #4 becoming Burgess' career record.
Eddy Arnold
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
recorded "Misty Blue" in a 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...
-produced session at the RCA Victor Studio on 20 April 1966; included on the June 1966 album release The Last Word in Lonesome, Arnold's "Misty Blue" had a belated single release in May 1967 to introduce The Best of Eddy Arnold compilation album. Besides virtually matching Burgess' success with the song—Arnold's version peaking at C&W #3—Arnold's "Misty Blue" became the first version of the song to crossover
Crossover
-Fiction and media:* Fictional crossover, a storyline combining characters or settings from separate fictional properties** Fictional crossovers in video games* Crossover , a 2002 documentary by Justin Lin...
to the pop field reaching #57 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...
in June 1967 and rising as high as #3 Easy Listening: the single's pop chart peaks in Cash Box and Record World
Record World
Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash Box magazines. It was founded in 1946 under the name Music Vendor, but since 1964 changed it to Record World, under the ownership of Sid Parnes and Bob Austin, both...
were respectively #20 and #48.
Billie Jo Spears
Billie Jo Spears
Billie Jo Spears is an American country music singer. She reached the top-10 of the Country music charts five times between 1969 and 1977, her biggest hit being "Blanket on the Ground", which, in 1975, became her only number one...
had a #5 C&W hit with "Misty Blue" in 1976 after the Dorothy Moore pop/soul hit version had revived interest in the song.
R&B hit versions
The first R&B recording of "Misty Blue" was a 1972 version by Joe SimonJoe Simon (musician)
Joe Simon is an American chart-topping, Grammy Award winning, soul and R&B musician. Amongst other chart singles, Simon secured three number one hits on the US Billboard R&B chart between 1969 and 1975.-Career:...
which while not one of his biggest R&B hits at #47 did return "Misty Blue" to the Hot 100 at #91 (Cash Box #62).
In 1973 Dorothy Moore
Dorothy Moore
Dorothy Moore is an American pop, R&B, and soul singer best known for her 1976 hit song, "Misty Blue".-Career:...
recorded "Misty Blue" at Malaco Records
Malaco Records
Malaco Records is an independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi. Malaco is and has been the home of various major soul, blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, ZZ Hill, Denise LaSalle, Benny Latimore, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Marvin Sease, and the...
in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, 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...
, cutting her vocal in a single take. http://bluescritic.com/dorothymooreinterview.htm The recording was made for Malaco then a production company who were unable to successfully shop the track to a label. At Thanksgiving 1975 the cash-strapped Malaco used the last of its resources to press Moore's "Misty Blue" and release it on the Malaco
Malaco Records
Malaco Records is an independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi. Malaco is and has been the home of various major soul, blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, ZZ Hill, Denise LaSalle, Benny Latimore, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Marvin Sease, and the...
label.
http://www.malaco.com/story.php Moore's single broke in the southern states in April 1976 and was #1 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
that May: in the summer of 1976 the single reached #2 R&B with a Pop peak of #3. "Misty Blue" was also a UK hit reaching #5 there on the chart dated for the week of 8 August 1976.http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=7073 Moore's single also achieved hit status in Australia (#5), Canada (#4), New Zealand (#4) and South Africa (#11).http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(M).html Moore's version is included on the soundtrack of the 1996 movie Phenomenon
Phenomenon (film)
Phenomenon is a 1996 romantic fantasy-drama film written by Gerald Di Pego, directed by Jon Turteltaub, and starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, and Robert Duvall....
and also the 2008 movie Made of Honor
Made of Honor
Made of Honor is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Paul Weiland and story written by Adam Sztykiel . It was produced by Neal H. Moritz and was released by Columbia Pictures in North America on May 2, 2008...
.
Other versions
Bob Montgomery estimates there are over 200 versions of "Misty Blue". C&W singers who have cut "Misty Blue" include the BrownsThe Browns
The Browns were an American country and folk music vocal trio best known for their 1959 Grammy-nominated hit, "The Three Bells". The group, composed of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie Brown, had a close, smooth harmony characteristic of the Nashville sound, though their music also...
, Claude Gray
Claude Gray
Claude Gray is an American country music singer-songwriter and guitar picker best known for his 1960 hit "Family Bible," which has been covered by many different artists.-Early life:...
, Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Eugene Husky was an early American country music singer who was equally adept at the genres of traditional honky honk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes...
, David Houston
David Houston (singer)
Charles David Houston was an American country music singer. His peak in popularity came between the mid-1960s through the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, Cristy Lane
Cristy Lane
Eleanor Johnston, known by her professional name as Cristy Lane is an American country music and gospel music singer, best known for a number of major country hits in the late 70s and the early 1980s, including her cover version of the song, "One Day at a Time".Lane's career began to take shape in...
, Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
, George Morgan
George Morgan
George Morgan may refer to:*George Morgan , American actor and author*George Morgan , American merchant and representative to Native Americans*George Morgan , American screenwriter...
, Lorrie Morgan
Lorrie Morgan
In 1996 Morgan married Jon Randall, a singer/songwriter now credited with writing the 2004 Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss hit "Whiskey Lullaby"; they divorced three years later in 1999....
, Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck was the legal name of Donald Eugene Lytle , a country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member most famous for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It"...
and T. G. Sheppard
T. G. Sheppard
T. G. Sheppard is an American country music singer, who had 14 number one hits during the 1970s and 1980s.-Early life:...
. In 1967 "Misty Blue" served as the title cut for an album of C&W songs by Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
.
R&B versions of "Misty Blue" include versions by Monica
Monica (singer)
Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
and Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
which virtually replicate the Dorothy Moore rendition, and also by LaVern Baker
LaVern Baker
LaVern Baker was an American rhythm and blues singer, who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedlee Dee" , "Jim Dandy" , and "I Cried a Tear" .-Early life:She was born Delores LaVern Baker in Chicago, Illinois...
, Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, Miki Howard
Miki Howard
Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is an American R&B/jazz singer and actress who had a string of Top 10 hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Howard's string of hits also included Baby,Be Mine", "Come Share My Love" and "Love Under New Management"...
and Barbara Lynn
Barbara Lynn
Barbara Lynn is an American rhythm and blues and electric blues guitarist and singer. She is best known for her R&B chart-topping hit, "You'll Lose A Good Thing" .-Life and career:She played piano as a child, but switched to guitar...
. The 2007 Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
live album Indigo Nights
Indigo Nights
Indigo Nights is a live album by Prince, mainly comprising songs played live during some of the aftershows at the indigO2 night club in London in 2007...
featured a version of "Misty Blue" with Shelby J as vocalist. Shelby J also performs this song live frequently at Prince concerts.
In 2002 UK electronic trio Amillionsons released a song which heavily sampled the track entitled "Misti Blu" which reached #39 UK.
http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=9983
The 1989 Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
album Where the Hits Are, a Malaco release composed mostly of new versions of Francis' own hits, featured her version of "Misty Blue" as well as "Old Time Rock 'N' Roll
Old Time Rock and Roll
"Old Time Rock and Roll" is the title of a song by Bob Seger featured on his 1978 album Stranger in Town and released as a single in 1979. It is a nostalgic look at the music of a previous generation. The song was featured in the Tom Cruise film Risky Business and gained widespread fame because of...
" and "Torn Between Two Lovers
Torn Between Two Lovers
"Torn Between Two Lovers" is the title of a pop song written by Peter Yarrow and Phillip Jarrell. It was inspired by Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel, Dr. Zhivago, which featured a man in love with two women. Yarrow originally intended the song to be sung by a man...
" which like "Misty Blue" were hits recorded at Muscle Shoals, where Where the Hits Are was recorded. Jann Arden
Jann Arden
Jann Arden is a Canadian singer-songwriter.-Life and career:Arden was born and raised near Calgary in Springbank, Alberta and attended Springbank Community High School. Her breakthrough came with her critically acclaimed 1993 debut album Time for Mercy and her first single "I Would Die For You"...
, Brian Conley
Brian Conley
Brian Conley is an English comedian, television presenter, singer and actor. At the peak of his television career, he was the highest-paid male television personality in the UK. Outside of television, he is best known for his frequent portrayals of Buttons in pantomime versions of...
, Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
, Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)
Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
, Leon Jackson
Leon Jackson
Leon Jackson is a Scottish singer-songwriter. He won the fourth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2007. Following his win, Jackson was the main star of his on-web series entitled Leon's Life, which ran from 2007 until 2008...
, Jim Nabors
Jim Nabors
James Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and later joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...
and Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origin. In pop music circles, he became known as "The Polish Prince".-Early life:...
have also recorded "Misty Blue".