Red Foley
Encyclopedia
Clyde Julian Foley better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music
after World War II
.
For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the genre, selling more than 25 million records
. His 1951 hit, "Peace in the Valley
", was among the first million-selling gospel
records. A Grand Ole Opry
veteran until his death, Foley also hosted the first popular country music series on network television, Ozark Jubilee
, from 1955 to 1960.
He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, which called him "one of the most versatile and moving performers of all time" and "a giant influence during the formative years of contemporary Country music."
, grew up in nearby Berea
, and gained the nickname Red for his hair color. He was born into a musical family; and by the time he was nine, was giving impromptu concerts at his father's general store, playing French harp, piano, banjo, trombone, harmonica and guitar
. At 17, he won first prize in a statewide talent show. He graduated from Berea High School, and later worked as a $2-a-show usher and singer at a theater in Covington, Kentucky
.
to sing with producer John Lair's Cumberland Ridge Runners, the house band on National Barn Dance
. His first single, "Life is Good Enough for Me/Lonesome Cowboy", was released in June 1933 on the Melotone
label. In 1937 he returned to Kentucky with Lair to help establish the Renfro Valley Barn Dance
stage and radio show near Mt. Vernon in 1939, performing everything from ballads to boogie-woogie
to blues
.
In late 1939, Foley became the first country artist to host a network radio program, NBC
's Avalon Time (co-hosted by Red Skelton
), and he performed extensively at theaters, clubs and fairs. He then returned for another seven-year stint with National Barn Dance.
In 1941, the same year he made his only film
appearance (portraying himself) with Tex Ritter
in the Western
, The Pioneers, Foley signed a lifetime contract with Decca Records
. He also released "Old Shep" in 1941, a song he wrote with Arthur Willis in 1933 about a dog he owned as a boy (in reality, his German shepherd, poisoned by a neighbor, was named Hoover). The song, later recorded by many artists including Hank Snow
and Elvis Presley
, became a country classic. His controversial patriotic 1944 single, "Smoke on the Water
", topped the folk records chart for 13 consecutive weeks, and on January 17, 1945, Foley was the first country performer to record in Nashville, Tennessee
. During the session at WSM-AM
's Studio B, he recorded "Tennessee Saturday Night
", "Blues in the Heart" and "Tennessee Border". He soon became known for such songs as "The Death of Floyd Collins" and "The Sinking of the Titanic". He moved to Nashville in 1946 and was briefly a member of the Brown's Ferry Four, recording "Jesus Hold My Hand" and "I'll Meet You in the Morning".
carried on NBC Radio
. During the next eight years he established himself as one of the most respected and versatile performers in country music. He acted as master of ceremonies, the straight man for Opry comedians Rod Brasfield
and Minnie Pearl
, and proved himself a vocalist who could handle all types of material. His popularity was credited with establishing the Opry as America's top country music radio show. In 1949, Foley was part of the Opry's first European tour, visiting U.S. military bases in England, West Germany and the Azores, with Brasfield, Roy Acuff
, Minnie Pearl, Little Jimmy Dickens
, Hank Williams and others.
Foley began recording with his backing group, the Cumberland Valley Boys, in 1947. He recorded seven top five hits with the group between 1947 and 1949, including a No. 1 single, "New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde)
" (a cover of a 1946 Moon Mullican
hit), and the country boogie anthem "Tennessee Saturday Night
", a chart-topper in 1948. In 1950, he had three million-sellers: "Just a Closer Walk with Thee", "Steal Away
" (recorded by Hank Williams as "The Funeral"), and a solo version of the song that became his trademark, "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
". Featuring guitarist Grady Martin
, it stayed at No. 1 on Billboard's country chart
for 13 weeks and hit the pop chart as well.
In 1951, Foley's second wife, Judy Martin, took her own life. To devote more time to his family in Nashville, he cut back on performing but continued to release hits in a variety of styles, including rockabilly
and rhythm and blues
. His 1951 hit, "(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (for Me)"
backed by the Sunshine Boys quartet, was one of the first gospel music
records to sell one million copies. He also released his first LP that year, Souvenir Album (Decca DL-5303).
Foley's manager was Jim McConnell and "Dub" Albritton was his personal appearances manager. Starting in 1951, he hosted The Red Foley Show on Saturday afternoons on NBC Radio from Nashville (moving to ABC Radio and Springfield, Missouri
from 1954 to 1961) sponsored by Dow Chemical. On November 21, 1953, he was one of the first eight singers named to Billboard magazine's Honor Roll of Country and Western artists, "named by the disk jockeys of America as an all-time great of country & western music."
Foley never lost his love for country music and, unlike Eddy Arnold
, never sought success as a pop artist, even though many of his recordings made the pop charts. Other hits included "Sugarfoot Rag", "Cincinnati Dancing Pig" and "Birmingham Bounce
", which stayed at No. 1 one for 14 weeks. Foley's success with the song prompted 21 cover versions. "One By One", a duet with Kitty Wells
, hit No. 1 in 1954 and stayed on the charts for 41 weeks. He also recorded with Ernest Tubb
(with whom he maintained a fictitious on-air "feud"), the Dixie Dons, the Andrews Sisters, the Anita Kerr Singers, Rosetta Tharpe, Evelyn Knight
and the Lawrence Welk
Orchestra. Known by then as Mr. Country Music and America's Favorite Country Gentleman, critics dubbed him the "barnyard Bing Crosby
."
After several years in virtual retirement, Foley moved to Springfield, Missouri in July 1954 after music executive Si Siman convinced him to host Ozark Jubilee
on ABC-TV
and radio. The deal was made over a bottle of Jack Daniel's
whiskey at the Andrew Jackson Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee
. Foley struggled with alcohol, which according to Maxine Brown
, "was a well-kept secret among all the entertainers because we loved him so much."
In 1955, an official act of the Oklahoma Legislature
honored him as the artist who has "contributed with humility and reverence more than any other person to perpetuate the music so deeply embedded in the hearts of the American people." That same year, he was credited with discovering 11-year-old Brenda Lee
, who became a Jubilee regular. On the October 4, 1956 program, Decca executives presented him with a gold record for "Peace in the Valley". The Jubilee ran for nearly six years and further cemented Foley's fame, but was canceled partly because of federal income tax evasion charges
pending against him in 1960. His first trial that fall ended with a hung jury, but on April 23, 1961, he was quickly acquitted.
From 1954 to 1955, he recorded a number of transcriptions for RadiOzark Enterprises
in Springfield with his band of Tommy Jackson on fiddle, Grady Martin on guitar, steel guitarist Bud Isaacs, guitarist Jimmie Selph
, Bob Moore
on bass and Billy Burke on accordion.
On April 25, 1956, he appeared on ABC's Masquerade Party
as Little Red Riding Hood, and made a guest appearance the next day on CBS' Strike it Rich
. He appeared on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
, a 1957–1960 program hosted by his son-in-law Pat Boone
. On February 22, 1960, he appeared on Tonight Starring Jack Paar. In the summer of 1961, Foley appeared twice on NBC-TV's Five Star Jubilee
and made 58 appearances at 22 state fairs with Boob Brasfield
. He moved to Los Angeles, California
, and from 1962 to 1963 played Fess Parker
's Uncle Cooter on Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
, an ABC-TV sitcom. In 1963, he returned to Nashville and performed and toured with the Grand Ole Opry. He was a guest on The Joey Bishop Show
on August 24, 1967.
Foley was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967 (the first Kentuckian and one of only six then-living inductees), which honored him as "one of the most versatile and moving performers of all time" and "a giant influence during the formative years of contemporary Country music and today a timeless legend."
sponsored by the local Sheriff's Posse that included Billy Walker
and 20-year-old Hank Williams, Jr.
, son of his long-time friend Hank Williams. Before the second show, according to Walker, Foley came to his dressing room and Walker shared his faith in Christ
: "[Foley] said, 'Do you think God could ever forgive a sinner like me?' He began to tell me all the rotten things he had done in his life and I looked him in the face and said, 'Red, if God can forgive me, He can forgive you.' I prayed with Red, he went out and the last song he sang was "Peace In The Valley". He came over to side of the stage and said, 'Billy, I've never sung that song and feel the way I do tonight.'" Foley suffered respiratory failure that night and died in his sleep, prompting Hank Williams, Jr. to write and record (as Luke the Drifter, Jr.) "I Was With Red Foley (The Night He Passed Away)". According to the song, which charted that November, his last words were, "I’m awful tired now, Hank, I’ve got to go to bed." Foley had sung "Peace In The Valley" at Hank Sr.'s funeral. Red Foley was interred in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery
in Nashville.
After his first wife, Axie Pauline Cox, died giving birth to their daughter Betty, he married Eva Alaine Overstake on August 9, 1933. Known during her solo career as Judy Martin, she was one of the Three Little Maids on National Barn Dance and a sister of country music songwriter Jenny Lou Carson
. Their daughters were Shirley Lee (Boone), Julie Ann (Neely) and Jenny Lou (Pankratz); who recorded with their parents on Decca as the Little Foleys. On November 17, 1951, Overstake committed suicide. Foley would later marry entertainer Sally Sweet, who became his third wife.
Betty Foley's son is country music performer Clyde Foley Cummins. Betty, (1933–1990) was married to Bentley Cummins in 1948 and aside from their son Clyde, had two other children, Charlotte Jean and Patrick Bentley. Shirley Lee Foley married actor-singer Pat Boone
in 1953. Their daughters are Cheryl Lynn, Linda Lee, Laura Gene and country and Christian
music singer Debby Boone
.
and Elvis Presley
, who both covered many of his songs. His country boogie material was a clear precursor of the style.
Foley has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
: one for his recording career at, 6225 Hollywood Blvd. and one for his television career, at 6300 Hollywood Blvd. On June 10, 2003, a Kentucky State historical marker
(No. 2114) was placed at Foley's boyhood home in Berea.
In 2002, he was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, where his corncob pipe is on display. In 2006, his 1951 version of "Peace in the Valley" was entered into the Library of Congress
' National Recording Registry
.
In 1970, Berea College
established the Red Foley Memorial Music Award. Initiated by his long-time friend and colleague Si Siman, the annual award is presented to talented Berea College students in recognition of their musical contributions to the campus community. It is intended to promote the music associated with Foley’s career, such as folk
, country, bluegrass
, gospel and popular music.
A dance to Foley's song, "The Salty Dog Rag", has been traditional at Dartmouth College
since 1972, where it is taught to freshman during orientation. Cumberland Falls State Park, in Corbin, Kentucky, near Foley's hometown of Berea, has been playing the song with an accompanying dance at its square dance nights since at least the mid-1970s.
The Rooks Van Dellen Residence Hall at Calvin College
has an annual celebration of Red Foley Day in mid-November. The celebration began in 1968 when a few students from the hall heard a radio announcer say, "Red Foley was a great country music singer, too bad no one will ever remember him." The day has been celebrated (with a few lapses) to remember Foley ever since.
Foley Middle School, located in Berea near Foley's boyhood home, opened in 1978 and educates students in southern Madison County in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The school retains a large collection of personal items once owned by Foley on display in the library. The collection was donated by members of his family.
Red Foley Court is among several streets in Nixa, Missouri
named for performers on Ozark Jubilee, and Red Foley Road is in Rockcastle County, Kentucky
, north of Renfro Valley.
In 2009, singer/songwriter James Power released a song based on Foley's second wife, Eva Overstake (aka Judy Martin), entitled "A Cowgirl's Suicide". The song was featured in the independent film Laid Off (2010) by director John Launchi.
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...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the genre, selling more than 25 million records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. His 1951 hit, "Peace in the Valley
Peace in the Valley
"Peace in the Valley" is a 1937 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart. It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies...
", was among the first million-selling gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
records. A Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
veteran until his death, Foley also hosted the first popular country music series on network television, Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
, from 1955 to 1960.
He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, which called him "one of the most versatile and moving performers of all time" and "a giant influence during the formative years of contemporary Country music."
Biography
Foley was born June 17, 1910 on a 24 acres (97,124.6 m²) farm in Blue Lick, KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, grew up in nearby Berea
Berea, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,851 people, 3,693 households, and 2,426 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,055.4 people per square mile . There were 4,115 housing units at an average density of 440.9 per square mile...
, and gained the nickname Red for his hair color. He was born into a musical family; and by the time he was nine, was giving impromptu concerts at his father's general store, playing French harp, piano, banjo, trombone, harmonica and guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
. At 17, he won first prize in a statewide talent show. He graduated from Berea High School, and later worked as a $2-a-show usher and singer at a theater in Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
.
Early radio and recording career
In 1930, as a freshman at Georgetown College, Foley was chosen by a talent scout from Chicago's WLS-AMWLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
to sing with producer John Lair's Cumberland Ridge Runners, the house band on National Barn Dance
National Barn Dance
National Barn Dance, broadcast by WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois starting in 1924, was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor of the Grand Ole Opry...
. His first single, "Life is Good Enough for Me/Lonesome Cowboy", was released in June 1933 on the Melotone
Melotone Records (US)
Melotone Records was a United States based record label. In late 1930, Warner/Brunswick Records introduced the Melotone label in the U.S. and Canada as a budget subsidiary issuing 78 rpm disc records. It then became part of the American Record Corporation collection of labels in 1932. The label was...
label. In 1937 he returned to Kentucky with Lair to help establish the Renfro Valley Barn Dance
Renfro Valley Barn Dance
Renfro Valley Barn Dance was an American country music stage and radio show originally carried by WLW-AM in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday nights. It debuted on October 9, 1937 from the Cincinnati Music Hall and moved to the Memorial Auditorium in Dayton, Ohio. It was hosted by John Lair, Red Foley,...
stage and radio show near Mt. Vernon in 1939, performing everything from ballads to boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
to blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
.
NBC Red Network
The NBC Red Network was one of the two original radio networks of the National Broadcasting Company. After NBC was required to divest itself of its Blue Network , the Red Network continued as the NBC Radio Network.It, along with the Blue Network, were the first two commercial radio networks in the...
's Avalon Time (co-hosted by Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
), and he performed extensively at theaters, clubs and fairs. He then returned for another seven-year stint with National Barn Dance.
In 1941, the same year he made his only film
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
appearance (portraying himself) with Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
in the Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
, The Pioneers, Foley signed a lifetime contract with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. He also released "Old Shep" in 1941, a song he wrote with Arthur Willis in 1933 about a dog he owned as a boy (in reality, his German shepherd, poisoned by a neighbor, was named Hoover). The song, later recorded by many artists including Hank Snow
Hank Snow
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, became a country classic. His controversial patriotic 1944 single, "Smoke on the Water
Smoke On The Water (Red Foley song)
"Smoke On The Water" is a 1944 song by Red Foley. The patriotic song was Foley's first song to hit No. 1 on the Folk Records charts, spending 13 weeks at the top and a total of 24 weeks on the chart. "Smoke On The Water" also peaked at No. 7 on the pop charts. The B-side of "Smoke On The Water"...
", topped the folk records chart for 13 consecutive weeks, and on January 17, 1945, Foley was the first country performer to record in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. During the session at WSM-AM
WSM (AM)
WSM is the callsign of a 50,000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. Operating at 650 kHz, its clear channel signal can reach much of North America and various countries, especially late at night...
's Studio B, he recorded "Tennessee Saturday Night
Tennessee Saturday Night
"Tennessee Saturday Night" is a Western swing ballad written by Billy Hughes. The song tells of Tennesseans having a good time on a Saturday night. Each verse ends with the refrain:...
", "Blues in the Heart" and "Tennessee Border". He soon became known for such songs as "The Death of Floyd Collins" and "The Sinking of the Titanic". He moved to Nashville in 1946 and was briefly a member of the Brown's Ferry Four, recording "Jesus Hold My Hand" and "I'll Meet You in the Morning".
Mr. Country Music
In April 1946, Foley signed on to emcee and perform on The Prince Albert Show, the segment of the Grand Ole OpryGrand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
carried on NBC Radio
NBC Red Network
The NBC Red Network was one of the two original radio networks of the National Broadcasting Company. After NBC was required to divest itself of its Blue Network , the Red Network continued as the NBC Radio Network.It, along with the Blue Network, were the first two commercial radio networks in the...
. During the next eight years he established himself as one of the most respected and versatile performers in country music. He acted as master of ceremonies, the straight man for Opry comedians Rod Brasfield
Rod Brasfield
Rodney Leon Brasfield was an American comedian who was prominently featured on the Grand Ole Opry from 1947 until his death in 1958. In 1987, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
and Minnie Pearl
Minnie Pearl
Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon , known professionally as Minnie Pearl, was an American country comedienne who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991.-Early life:Sarah Colley was born in Centerville, in Hickman County, Tennessee,...
, and proved himself a vocalist who could handle all types of material. His popularity was credited with establishing the Opry as America's top country music radio show. In 1949, Foley was part of the Opry's first European tour, visiting U.S. military bases in England, West Germany and the Azores, with Brasfield, Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
, Minnie Pearl, Little Jimmy Dickens
Little Jimmy Dickens
James Cecil Dickens , better known as Little Jimmy Dickens, is an American country music singer famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size, 4'11" , and his rhinestone-studded outfits...
, Hank Williams and others.
Foley began recording with his backing group, the Cumberland Valley Boys, in 1947. He recorded seven top five hits with the group between 1947 and 1949, including a No. 1 single, "New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde)
New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde)
"New Jolie Blonde " is a 1947 song by Red Foley. The song was Foley's third number one on the Folk Juke Box chart, spending two weeks at number one and a total of sixteen weeks on the chart....
" (a cover of a 1946 Moon Mullican
Moon Mullican
Aubrey Wilson Mullican , known as Moon Mullican, was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. However, he also sang and played jazz, rock 'n' roll and the blues...
hit), and the country boogie anthem "Tennessee Saturday Night
Tennessee Saturday Night
"Tennessee Saturday Night" is a Western swing ballad written by Billy Hughes. The song tells of Tennesseans having a good time on a Saturday night. Each verse ends with the refrain:...
", a chart-topper in 1948. In 1950, he had three million-sellers: "Just a Closer Walk with Thee", "Steal Away
Steal Away
"Steal Away" is an American Negro spiritual. The song is well known by variations of the chorus:Many say that songs like "Steal Away to Jesus", and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Wade in the Water" and the "Gospel Train" are secret codes not only to have faith in God, but were hidden messages for...
" (recorded by Hank Williams as "The Funeral"), and a solo version of the song that became his trademark, "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
"Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" is a popular song written by Harry Stone and Jack Stapp and published in 1950.Many versions of the song charted in 1950, but the biggest was by Red Foley. His recording, produced by Owen Bradley, was released by Decca Records as catalog number 46205...
". Featuring guitarist Grady Martin
Grady Martin
Thomas Grady Martin was one of the most renowned, inventive and historically significant American session musicians in country music and rockabilly....
, it stayed at No. 1 on Billboard's country chart
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...
for 13 weeks and hit the pop chart as well.
In 1951, Foley's second wife, Judy Martin, took her own life. To devote more time to his family in Nashville, he cut back on performing but continued to release hits in a variety of styles, including rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. His 1951 hit, "(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (for Me)"
Peace in the Valley
"Peace in the Valley" is a 1937 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart. It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies...
backed by the Sunshine Boys quartet, was one of the first gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
records to sell one million copies. He also released his first LP that year, Souvenir Album (Decca DL-5303).
Foley's manager was Jim McConnell and "Dub" Albritton was his personal appearances manager. Starting in 1951, he hosted The Red Foley Show on Saturday afternoons on NBC Radio from Nashville (moving to ABC Radio and Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, 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...
from 1954 to 1961) sponsored by Dow Chemical. On November 21, 1953, he was one of the first eight singers named to Billboard magazine's Honor Roll of Country and Western artists, "named by the disk jockeys of America as an all-time great of country & western music."
Foley never lost his love for country music and, unlike 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...
, never sought success as a pop artist, even though many of his recordings made the pop charts. Other hits included "Sugarfoot Rag", "Cincinnati Dancing Pig" and "Birmingham Bounce
Birmingham Bounce
"Birmingham Bounce" is a 1950s song written by Hardrock Gunter. It has been recorded numerous times, the most famous version was recorded by Red Foley who made it a hit. The song was Red Foley's sixth number one on the Folk Record chart and spent a total of fifteen weeks on the chart...
", which stayed at No. 1 one for 14 weeks. Foley's success with the song prompted 21 cover versions. "One By One", a duet with Kitty Wells
Kitty Wells
Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
, hit No. 1 in 1954 and stayed on the charts for 41 weeks. He also recorded with 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...
(with whom he maintained a fictitious on-air "feud"), the Dixie Dons, the Andrews Sisters, the Anita Kerr Singers, Rosetta Tharpe, Evelyn Knight
Evelyn Knight
Evelyn Knight was a popular American singer of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1948, she recorded "A Little Bird Told Me" with The Stardusters, which was #1 for seven weeks and stayed on the charts for five months...
and the Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
Orchestra. Known by then as Mr. Country Music and America's Favorite Country Gentleman, critics dubbed him the "barnyard Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
."
Television career
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
on ABC-TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and radio. The deal was made over a bottle of Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors. It is known for its square bottles and black label. As of November, 2007, one blogger was claiming that it was the best-selling whiskey in the world. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by...
whiskey at the Andrew Jackson Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Foley struggled with alcohol, which according to Maxine Brown
Maxine Brown (country singer)
Maxine Brown is an American country music singer who was originally a member of the successful 1950s trio, The Browns, before a brief solo career.-Biography:...
, "was a well-kept secret among all the entertainers because we loved him so much."
In 1955, an official act of the Oklahoma Legislature
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
honored him as the artist who has "contributed with humility and reverence more than any other person to perpetuate the music so deeply embedded in the hearts of the American people." That same year, he was credited with discovering 11-year-old Brenda Lee
Brenda 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...
, who became a Jubilee regular. On the October 4, 1956 program, Decca executives presented him with a gold record for "Peace in the Valley". The Jubilee ran for nearly six years and further cemented Foley's fame, but was canceled partly because of federal income tax evasion charges
Tax avoidance and tax evasion
Tax noncompliance describes a range of activities that are unfavorable to a state's tax system. These include tax avoidance, which refers to reducing taxes by legal means, and tax evasion which refers to the criminal non-payment of tax liabilities....
pending against him in 1960. His first trial that fall ended with a hung jury, but on April 23, 1961, he was quickly acquitted.
From 1954 to 1955, he recorded a number of transcriptions for RadiOzark Enterprises
Ralph D. Foster
Ralph David Foster , was an American broadcasting pioneer and philanthropist who created the framework for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as the nation's country music capital during the 1950s...
in Springfield with his band of Tommy Jackson on fiddle, Grady Martin on guitar, steel guitarist Bud Isaacs, guitarist Jimmie Selph
Jimmie Selph
Jimmie Selph , born James Coin Self, was a versatile American country music, rockabilly and bluegrass musician and occasional vocalist whose career peaked during the late 1940s–1950s. He played guitar, drums, accordion, and steel guitar...
, Bob Moore
Bob Moore
Bob Loyce Moore is an American session musician, orchestra leader, and bassist who was a member of the legendary Nashville A-Team during the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:...
on bass and Billy Burke on accordion.
On April 25, 1956, he appeared on ABC's Masquerade Party
Masquerade Party
A syndicated revival was produced by Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall in 1974, hosted by Richard Dawson and announced by Jay Stewart. The basic premise was the same as the original show. Bill Bixby, Lee Meriweather, and Nipsey Russell were regular panelists. Col. Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried...
as Little Red Riding Hood, and made a guest appearance the next day on CBS' Strike it Rich
Strike It Rich (radio-TV)
Strike It Rich was a controversial game show that aired on American radio and television from 1947-1958 on CBS and NBC. People in need of money appeared and told their tale of woe, then tried to win money by answering some relatively easy questions...
. He appeared on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom is a half-hour variety show that aired on ABC from October 3, 1957 to June 23, 1960, starring the young singer Pat Boone and a host of top-name guest stars. The program was of course sponsored by Chevrolet...
, a 1957–1960 program hosted by his son-in-law Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
. On February 22, 1960, he appeared on Tonight Starring Jack Paar. In the summer of 1961, Foley appeared twice on NBC-TV's Five Star Jubilee
Five Star Jubilee
Five Star Jubilee was an American country music variety show carried by NBC-TV from March 17–September 22, 1961. The live program, a spin-off of ABC-TV's Jubilee USA, was the first network color television series to originate outside New York City or Hollywood.From March 17 to May 5, the...
and made 58 appearances at 22 state fairs with Boob Brasfield
Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap Brasfield
Laurence Lemarr Brasfield and Neva Inez Fisher Brasfield , better known as Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap, were an American country comedy duo with acting careers beginning in the late 1910s that spanned vaudeville to network television...
. He moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and from 1962 to 1963 played Fess Parker
Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
's Uncle Cooter on Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (TV series)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1962-1963 ABC sitcom starring Fess Parker as Eugene Smith, an honest but unsophisticated U.S. senator from an unidentified small-populated state. The half-hour program is based on the 1939 Frank Capra film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring James Stewart in...
, an ABC-TV sitcom. In 1963, he returned to Nashville and performed and toured with the Grand Ole Opry. He was a guest on The Joey Bishop Show
The Joey Bishop Show (talk show)
The Joey Bishop Show is an American talk show which was first broadcast on ABC on April 17, 1967, hosted by Joey Bishop and featuring Regis Philbin in his first concentrated national television exposure, as Bishop's sidekick/announcer...
on August 24, 1967.
Foley was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967 (the first Kentuckian and one of only six then-living inductees), which honored him as "one of the most versatile and moving performers of all time" and "a giant influence during the formative years of contemporary Country music and today a timeless legend."
Death
On September 19, 1968, Foley appeared in two Opry performances in Fort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
sponsored by the local Sheriff's Posse that included Billy Walker
Billy Walker (musician)
William Marvin Walker , better known as Billy Walker, was an American country music singer and guitarist best-known for his 1962 hit, " Charlie's Shoes"...
and 20-year-old Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams, Jr.
Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
, son of his long-time friend Hank Williams. Before the second show, according to Walker, Foley came to his dressing room and Walker shared his faith in Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
: "[Foley] said, 'Do you think God could ever forgive a sinner like me?' He began to tell me all the rotten things he had done in his life and I looked him in the face and said, 'Red, if God can forgive me, He can forgive you.' I prayed with Red, he went out and the last song he sang was "Peace In The Valley". He came over to side of the stage and said, 'Billy, I've never sung that song and feel the way I do tonight.'" Foley suffered respiratory failure that night and died in his sleep, prompting Hank Williams, Jr. to write and record (as Luke the Drifter, Jr.) "I Was With Red Foley (The Night He Passed Away)". According to the song, which charted that November, his last words were, "I’m awful tired now, Hank, I’ve got to go to bed." Foley had sung "Peace In The Valley" at Hank Sr.'s funeral. Red Foley was interred in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 660 Thompson Lane in Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of the largest cemeteries in Nashville.Among those interred or entombed in the cemetery, there are many prominent members of the country music genre and their families.-List:Use the following...
in Nashville.
Family
Foley had an older brother, Clarence "Cotton" Foley (1903–1988), who in 1939, along with brother Red, John Lair, and Whitey Ford, co-founded the Renfro Valley Barn Dance in Rockcastle County, Kentucky.After his first wife, Axie Pauline Cox, died giving birth to their daughter Betty, he married Eva Alaine Overstake on August 9, 1933. Known during her solo career as Judy Martin, she was one of the Three Little Maids on National Barn Dance and a sister of country music songwriter Jenny Lou Carson
Jenny Lou Carson
Jenny Lou Carson, , born Virginia Lucille Overstake, was an American country music singer-songwriter and the first woman to write a No. 1 country music hit...
. Their daughters were Shirley Lee (Boone), Julie Ann (Neely) and Jenny Lou (Pankratz); who recorded with their parents on Decca as the Little Foleys. On November 17, 1951, Overstake committed suicide. Foley would later marry entertainer Sally Sweet, who became his third wife.
Betty Foley's son is country music performer Clyde Foley Cummins. Betty, (1933–1990) was married to Bentley Cummins in 1948 and aside from their son Clyde, had two other children, Charlotte Jean and Patrick Bentley. Shirley Lee Foley married actor-singer Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
in 1953. Their daughters are Cheryl Lynn, Linda Lee, Laura Gene and country and Christian
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
music singer Debby Boone
Debby Boone
Deborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
.
Legacy
Foley was an inspiration to rock 'n' roll, in particular Jerry Lee LewisJerry 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...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, who both covered many of his songs. His country boogie material was a clear precursor of the style.
Foley has two stars 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...
: one for his recording career at, 6225 Hollywood Blvd. and one for his television career, at 6300 Hollywood Blvd. On June 10, 2003, a Kentucky State historical marker
Historical marker
A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.-Description:...
(No. 2114) was placed at Foley's boyhood home in Berea.
In 2002, he was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, where his corncob pipe is on display. In 2006, his 1951 version of "Peace in the Valley" was entered into the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
' National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
.
In 1970, Berea College
Berea College
Berea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
established the Red Foley Memorial Music Award. Initiated by his long-time friend and colleague Si Siman, the annual award is presented to talented Berea College students in recognition of their musical contributions to the campus community. It is intended to promote the music associated with Foley’s career, such as folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, country, bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, gospel and popular music.
A dance to Foley's song, "The Salty Dog Rag", has been traditional at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College traditions
The traditions of Dartmouth College, an American Ivy League college in Hanover, New Hampshire, are deeply entrenched in the student life of the institution and are well-known nationally. Dartmouth's website counts the College's "special traditions" among its "essential elements", and in his...
since 1972, where it is taught to freshman during orientation. Cumberland Falls State Park, in Corbin, Kentucky, near Foley's hometown of Berea, has been playing the song with an accompanying dance at its square dance nights since at least the mid-1970s.
The Rooks Van Dellen Residence Hall at Calvin College
Calvin College
Calvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin College is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism...
has an annual celebration of Red Foley Day in mid-November. The celebration began in 1968 when a few students from the hall heard a radio announcer say, "Red Foley was a great country music singer, too bad no one will ever remember him." The day has been celebrated (with a few lapses) to remember Foley ever since.
Foley Middle School, located in Berea near Foley's boyhood home, opened in 1978 and educates students in southern Madison County in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The school retains a large collection of personal items once owned by Foley on display in the library. The collection was donated by members of his family.
Red Foley Court is among several streets in Nixa, Missouri
Nixa, Missouri
Nixa is a city in Christian County, Missouri, United States. The population was 12,124 at the 2000 census, though a 2009 estimate places it at 19,458. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
named for performers on Ozark Jubilee, and Red Foley Road is in Rockcastle County, Kentucky
Rockcastle County, Kentucky
Rockcastle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,582. Its county seat is Mt. Vernon. The county is named for the Rockcastle River which runs through it...
, north of Renfro Valley.
In 2009, singer/songwriter James Power released a song based on Foley's second wife, Eva Overstake (aka Judy Martin), entitled "A Cowgirl's Suicide". The song was featured in the independent film Laid Off (2010) by director John Launchi.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Red Foley Souvenir Album | Decca | |
| 1953 | A Tribute to Jimmie Rodgers | ||
| Sing a Song of Christmas | |||
| 1954 | Lift Up Your Voice | ||
| 1955 | Beyond the Sunset | ||
| 1956 | Red and Ernie, Vol. 1 (with 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... ) |
||
| Red and Ernie, Vol. 2 (with Ernest Tubb) | |||
| 1958 | Red Foley's Dickies Souvenir Album | ||
| I Believe | |||
| He Walks with Thee | |||
| Beyond the Sunset | |||
| My Keepsake Album | |||
| 1959 | Let's All Sing with Red Foley | ||
| 1961 | Rockin' Chair | ||
| Company's Comin | |||
| Songs of Devotion | |||
| 1962 | Dear Hearts and Gentle People | ||
| Life's Railroad to Heaven | |||
| Hang Your Head in Shame | |||
| 1963 | The Red Foley Show | ||
| Rock of Ages | |||
| 1965 | I'm Bound for the Kingdom | Songs Everybody Knows | |
| 1967 | Songs for the Soul | ||
| Together Again (with Kitty Wells Kitty Wells Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star... ) |
24 | ||
| 1969 | I Believe |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
US 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... |
||
| 1944 | "Smoke on the Water Smoke On The Water (Red Foley song) "Smoke On The Water" is a 1944 song by Red Foley. The patriotic song was Foley's first song to hit No. 1 on the Folk Records charts, spending 13 weeks at the top and a total of 24 weeks on the chart. "Smoke On The Water" also peaked at No. 7 on the pop charts. The B-side of "Smoke On The Water"... " |
1 | 7 |
| "There's a Blue Star Shining Bright (In a Window Tonight)" | 5 | ||
| 1945 | "Hang Your Head in Shame" | 4 | |
| "I'll Never Let You Worry My Mind" | 5 | ||
| "Shame on You Shame On You (Cooley song) "Shame on You" is a Western Swing song written by Spade Cooley and became his signature song.The title comes from the refrain that starts each verse:In the song, the singer is rebuking his straying girlfriend.... " (with Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982... ) |
1 | 13 | |
| "At Mail Call Today" (with Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982... ) |
3 | ||
| 1946 | "Harriet" (with Roy Ross & His Ramblers) | 4 | |
| "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" (with Roy Ross & His Ramblers) | 5 | ||
| 1947 | "That's How Much I Love You" (Red Foley and The Cumberland Valley Boys) | 4 | |
| "New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde) New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde) "New Jolie Blonde " is a 1947 song by Red Foley. The song was Foley's third number one on the Folk Juke Box chart, spending two weeks at number one and a total of sixteen weeks on the chart.... " (Red Foley and The Cumberland Valley Boys) |
1 | ||
| "Freight Train Boogie" (Red Foley and The Cumberland Valley Boys) | 5 | ||
| "Never Trust a Woman" (Red Foley and The Cumberland Valley Boys) | 2 | ||
| 1948 | "Tennessee Saturday Night Tennessee Saturday Night "Tennessee Saturday Night" is a Western swing ballad written by Billy Hughes. The song tells of Tennesseans having a good time on a Saturday night. Each verse ends with the refrain:... " (Red Foley and The Cumberland Valley Boys) |
1 | |
| 1949 | "Candy Kisses Candy Kisses Candy Kisses can refer to the following songs:*"Candy Kisses" , a 1949 American folk song*"Candy Kisses" , a 2007 American R&B songCandy kiss or candy kisses can refer to:... " |
4 | |
| "Tennessee Border" | 3 | ||
| "Blues in My Heart" (with Cumberland Valley Boys) | 15 | ||
| "Tennessee Polka" | 4 | ||
| "I'm Throwing Rice (At the Girl I Love)" | 11 | ||
| "Two Cents, Three Eggs and a Postcard" | 8 | ||
| "Sunday Down in Tennessee" | 3 | ||
| "Tennessee Border No. 2" (with 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... ) |
2 | ||
| 1950 | "I Gotta Have My Baby Back" | 10 | |
| "Careless Kisses" | 8 | ||
| "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" is a popular song written by Harry Stone and Jack Stapp and published in 1950.Many versions of the song charted in 1950, but the biggest was by Red Foley. His recording, produced by Owen Bradley, was released by Decca Records as catalog number 46205... " |
1 | 1 | |
| "Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age" (with Ernest Tubb) | 7 | ||
| "Sugarfoot Rag Sugar-Foot Rag "Sugar-Foot Rag" is the title of a song written by Hank Garland and Vaughn Horton. It was originally recorded by Garland and released in 1949, selling over a million records. It was then recorded by American country music artist Red Foley in 1950... " |
4 | 24 | |
| "Steal Away Steal Away "Steal Away" is an American Negro spiritual. The song is well known by variations of the chorus:Many say that songs like "Steal Away to Jesus", and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Wade in the Water" and the "Gospel Train" are secret codes not only to have faith in God, but were hidden messages for... " |
9 | ||
| "Birmingham Bounce Birmingham Bounce "Birmingham Bounce" is a 1950s song written by Hardrock Gunter. It has been recorded numerous times, the most famous version was recorded by Red Foley who made it a hit. The song was Red Foley's sixth number one on the Folk Record chart and spent a total of fifteen weeks on the chart... " |
1 | 14 | |
| "Choc'late Ice Cream Cone" (with The Dixie Dons) | 5 | ||
| "Mississippi" (with The Dixie Dons) | 1 | 22 | |
| "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" (with The Jordanaires The Jordanaires The Jordanaires are an American vocal quartet, which formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are best known for providing vocal background for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972... ) |
9 | ||
| "Goodnight Irene" (with Ernest Tubb) | 1 | 10 | |
| "Hillbilly Fever No. 2" (with Ernest Tubb) | 9 | ||
| "Cincinnati Dancing Pig" | 2 | 7 | |
| "Our Lady of Fatima" | 8 | 16 | |
| 1951 | "My Heart Cries for You My Heart Cries for You "My Heart Cries for You" is a popular song, adapted by Carl Sigman and Percy Faith from an 18th century French melody.The music is from an old French song attributed to Marie Antoinette " La jardinière du Roi"... " (with Evelyn Knight Evelyn Knight Evelyn Knight was a popular American singer of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1948, she recorded "A Little Bird Told Me" with The Stardusters, which was #1 for seven weeks and stayed on the charts for five months... ) |
6 | 28 |
| "Hot Rod Race Hot Rod Race "Hot Rod Race" is a Western swing song about an automobile race out of San Pedro, California, between a Ford and a Mercury. Released in November 1950, it broke the ground for a series of hot rod songs recorded for the car culture of the 1950s and 60s... " |
7 | ||
| "Hobo Boogie" | 8 | ||
| "The Strange Little Girl" (with Ernest Tubb & Anita Kerr Singers Anita Kerr Anita Jean Grilli , known profesioanlly as Anita Kerr, is an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed successfully with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Europe.-Nashville:Kerr was born in Memphis, Tennessee... ) |
9 | ||
| "(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me) Peace in the Valley "Peace in the Valley" is a 1937 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart. It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies... " (with The Sunshine Boys Quartet) |
5 | ||
| "Alabama Jubilee" (with The Nashville Dixielanders) | 3 | 28 | |
| 1952 | "Too Old to Cut the Mustard" (with Ernest Tubb) | 5 | |
| "Milk Bucket Boogie" | 8 | ||
| "Salty Dog Rag" | 8 | ||
| "Midnight" | 1 | ||
| 1953 | "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" is an off meter ballad concerning a man away from home worried that his paramour may unwittingly stray from their relationship. The song was recorded in many different styles by many artists. It was written by Winston L. Moore and was published in 1952... " |
8 | 25 |
| "Hot Toddy" | 6 | ||
| "No Help Wanted #2" (with Ernest Tubb) | 7 | ||
| "Slaves of a Hopeless Love Affair" | 8 | ||
| "Shake a Hand Shake a Hand "Shake a Hand" is a 1953 single written by trumpeter and bandleader Joe Morris and originally performed by Faye Adams, whose version hit number one on the R&B chart for nine weeks.-Cover versions:*Red Foley... " (with Anita Kerr Singers) |
6 | ||
| "Put Christ Back Into Christmas" | 23 | ||
| 1954 | "As Far as I'm Concerned" (with Betty Foley) | 8 | |
| "Jilted Jilted (song) "Jilted" is a popular song with music by Dick Manning and lyrics by Robert Colby, published in 1954.Teresa Brewer recorded the biggest-selling version on December 29, 1953. This recording was released by Coral Records as catalog number 61152. It first reached the U.S. Billboard chart on April 14,... " |
7 | ||
| "One by One" (with Kitty Wells Kitty Wells Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star... ) |
1 | ||
| "I'm a Stranger in My Home" (with Kitty Wells) | 12 | ||
| 1955 | "Hearts of Stone Hearts of Stone "Hearts of Stone" is an American R&B song. It was written by Rudy Jackson, a member of the San Bernardino, California-based rhythm and blues vocal group the Jewels which first recorded it for the R&B label in 1954... " (with Anita Kerr Singers) |
4 | |
| "As Long as I Live" (with Kitty Wells) | 3 | ||
| "Make Believe ('Til We Can Make It Come True)" (with Kitty Wells) | 6 | ||
| "A Satisfied Mind A Satisfied Mind A Satisfied Mind is a compilation of 9 of the 12 songs from the 1962 Capitol album Big Bluegrass Special plus "A Satisfied Mind" which was previously released as flipside of Glen Campbell's 1966 Capitol single "Can’t You See I’m Trying".... " (with Betty Foley) |
3 | ||
| 1956 | "You and Me" (with Kitty Wells) | 3 | |
| "No One but You" (with Kitty Wells) | flip | ||
| 1959 | "Travelin' Man" | 29 | |
| 1967 | "Happiness Means You" (with Kitty Wells) | 43 | |
| "Hello Number One" (with Kitty Wells) | 60 | ||
| "Living as Strangers" (with Kitty Wells) | 63 | ||
| 1969 | "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" (with Kitty Wells) | 74 |
External links
- Watch Red Foley on Jubilee USA, "Chattanoogie Shoeshine Boy," June 20, 1959 Flash player file
- Listen to Red Foley: "Salty Dog Rag" MP3 audio file
- Red Foley in the Country Music Hall of Fame
- Red Foley biography at Country Music Television.com
- Photo of Red and Sally Foley
- Tribute by Foley's grandson, Clyde Foley Cummins