Tony Booth (musician)
Encyclopedia
Tony Booth is an American
country music
singer who participated in Buck Owens'
"Bakersfield sound
" revolution.
for playing guitar at age 14. After high school, he attended the University of New Mexico
with the intent of becoming a schoolteacher. But he decided to give music a try, and began his music career with the Mel Savage Band. Before long, he was touring with Jimmy Snyder.
Booth's first single, "Wishful Thinkin'" (backed with "I Think I Can") and album, Country '67 was released under the stage name "Johnny Booth" by Universal City Records in 1967. It featured a cover of Engelbert Humperdinck
's "There Goes My Everything", a version of which had been released months earlier by Ray Price
, one of Booth's longtime influences. The album, produced by Cliffie Stone
, retains the vestigal sound of Rockabilly
that Country music
was moving away from at that time, ironically toward the softer sound then being pushed by artists such as Price
.
When his first album did not yield a chart position, Booth formed a band called Modern Country in 1968 and performed for a time in Las Vegas, Nevada
before moving to Los Angeles, California
. The band, which renamed itself the Tony Booth Band, became the house band at L.A.'s Palomino Club
. He cut a single with K-Ark Records, "Big Lonely World" (backed with "It's Alright") but it also had no chart success.
, Merle Haggard
's song about interracial love, "Irma Jackson
" (backed with Booth's own "One Too Many Times") reached the charts. His band also won an Academy of Country Music
award, which they would take home for three consecutive years.
An album soon followed, On The Right Track, produced by Dusty Rhodes, and in 1971 Booth won the ACM
award for Most Promising Male Vocalist. He signed with Capitol Records
and became one of several artists to record under Buck Owens
. His first single, "Cinderella", went midway up the charts.
Booth released two albums a year for Capitol
between 1972 and 1974.
The first was The Key's In The Mailbox which included three hit singles. The title track reached #1 on Cash Box, making it his best-ranked and best-known song. The last single from the album made it to #13, and "Lonesome 7-7203" from his next album peaked right behind at #6.
Over the next three albums, Booth produced five more singles which all charted. "When a Man Loves a Woman (The Way That I Love You)" made it to #19, and the next four all made the Top 50 including a cover of Doris Day's
hit "Secret Love." He was also nominated for the ACM
Male Vocalist of the Year award in 1973.
After two singles failed to chart, Booth's cover of Jim Croce's
hit Workin' At The Car Wash Blues, made it to #22 and the album of the same name won an ASCAP award in 1974. Up to that album, his recordings for Capitol
were largely penned by Buck Owens
, but by that time Owens was retreating from the music scene following the death of his close friend Don Rich
and the net for Booth's material was cast wider.
in 1975 after three more singles. He was picked up by United Artists Records
in 1976, and unsurprisingly left the Bakersfield sound
behind. The soaring strings didn't impress the charts, although his 1977 single "Letting Go" (backed somewhat ironically with "Nothing Seems To Work Anymore") just barely made the Top 100.
He went on to tour in Gene Watson's
band and played bass and sang backup on many of his mid-1980s albums, and performed the song "Still on the Bottle" for the movie Daddy's Dyin'... Who's Got the Will? (1990).
Booth currently lives in Alvin, Texas
with his wife and family, and appears frequently in the band at the Alvin Opry with his brother Larry. Tony Booth has also resumed touring on his own again playing mostly in southern states such as Texas
and Oklahoma
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer who participated in 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...
"Bakersfield sound
Bakersfield sound
The Bakersfield sound was a genre of country music developed in the mid- to late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California. The many hit singles were largely produced by Capitol Records country music head, Ken Nelson. Bakersfield country was a reaction against the slickly produced, string...
" revolution.
Early years
As a boy, Booth showed his talent by winning a contest in New Port Richey, FloridaNew Port Richey, Florida
New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area...
for playing guitar at age 14. After high school, he attended the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
with the intent of becoming a schoolteacher. But he decided to give music a try, and began his music career with the Mel Savage Band. Before long, he was touring with Jimmy Snyder.
Booth's first single, "Wishful Thinkin'" (backed with "I Think I Can") and album, Country '67 was released under the stage name "Johnny Booth" by Universal City Records in 1967. It featured a cover of 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:...
's "There Goes My Everything", a version of which had been released months earlier by Ray Price
Ray Price (musician)
Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
, one of Booth's longtime influences. The album, produced by Cliffie Stone
Cliffie Stone
Cliffie Stone , born Clifford Gilpin Snyder, was an American country singer, musician, record producer, music publisher, and radio and TV personality who was pivotal in the development of California’s thriving country music scene after World War II during a career that lasted six decades...
, retains the vestigal sound of 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...
that Country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
was moving away from at that time, ironically toward the softer sound then being pushed by artists such as Price
Ray Price (musician)
Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
.
When his first album did not yield a chart position, Booth formed a band called Modern Country in 1968 and performed for a time in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
before moving 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...
. The band, which renamed itself the Tony Booth Band, became the house band at L.A.'s 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,...
. He cut a single with K-Ark Records, "Big Lonely World" (backed with "It's Alright") but it also had no chart success.
Country Success
That changed in 1970 when his first single for MGM RecordsMGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
, 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,...
's song about interracial love, "Irma Jackson
Irma Jackson
"Irma Jackson" is a song by Bakersfield, California-based outlaw country artist Merle Haggard, released on his 1972 album Let Me Tell You About a Song. The song, which was about the then-controversial topic of an interracial romance, was actually written several years prior to 1972, but not...
" (backed with Booth's own "One Too Many Times") reached the charts. His band also won an Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
award, which they would take home for three consecutive years.
An album soon followed, On The Right Track, produced by Dusty Rhodes, and in 1971 Booth won the ACM
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
award for Most Promising Male Vocalist. He signed with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and became one of several artists to record under 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...
. His first single, "Cinderella", went midway up the charts.
Booth released two albums a year for Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
between 1972 and 1974.
The first was The Key's In The Mailbox which included three hit singles. The title track reached #1 on Cash Box, making it his best-ranked and best-known song. The last single from the album made it to #13, and "Lonesome 7-7203" from his next album peaked right behind at #6.
Over the next three albums, Booth produced five more singles which all charted. "When a Man Loves a Woman (The Way That I Love You)" made it to #19, and the next four all made the Top 50 including a cover of Doris Day's
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
hit "Secret Love." He was also nominated for the ACM
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Male Vocalist of the Year award in 1973.
After two singles failed to chart, Booth's cover of Jim Croce's
Jim Croce
James Joseph "Jim" Croce January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973 was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles...
hit Workin' At The Car Wash Blues, made it to #22 and the album of the same name won an ASCAP award in 1974. Up to that album, his recordings for Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
were largely penned by 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...
, but by that time Owens was retreating from the music scene following the death of his close friend Don Rich
Don Rich
Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich was a country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of the Buckaroos, the backing band of country singer Buck Owens.-Biography:Donald Eugene Ulrich was...
and the net for Booth's material was cast wider.
Later years
Booth left CapitolCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 1975 after three more singles. He was picked up by United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
in 1976, and unsurprisingly left the Bakersfield sound
Bakersfield sound
The Bakersfield sound was a genre of country music developed in the mid- to late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California. The many hit singles were largely produced by Capitol Records country music head, Ken Nelson. Bakersfield country was a reaction against the slickly produced, string...
behind. The soaring strings didn't impress the charts, although his 1977 single "Letting Go" (backed somewhat ironically with "Nothing Seems To Work Anymore") just barely made the Top 100.
He went on to tour in Gene Watson's
Gene Watson
Gary Gene Watson is an American country singer. He is most famous for his 1975 hit "Love in the Hot Afternoon," his 1982 hit "Fourteen Carat Mind," and his signature song "Farewell Party." Watson's long career has notched six number ones, 23 top tens and over 75 charted singles.-Biography:Watson...
band and played bass and sang backup on many of his mid-1980s albums, and performed the song "Still on the Bottle" for the movie Daddy's Dyin'... Who's Got the Will? (1990).
Booth currently lives in Alvin, Texas
Alvin, Texas
Alvin is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and Brazoria County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 21,413. Alvin's claim to fame is Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who moved with his family to the city in 1947 as...
with his wife and family, and appears frequently in the band at the Alvin Opry with his brother Larry. Tony Booth has also resumed touring on his own again playing mostly in southern states such as Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Awards
- 1970 - ACMAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Best Non-Touring Band - 1971 - ACMAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Best Non-Touring Band - 1971 - ACMAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Most Promising Male Vocalist - 1972 - ACMAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Best Non-Touring Band - 1974 - ASCAP Award for Workin' At The Car Wash Blues
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | On the Right Track | — | MGM |
| 1972 | The Key's in the Mailbox | 12 | Capitol |
| Lonesome 7-7203 | 14 | ||
| 1973 | When a Man Loves a Woman (The Way That I Love You) | 27 | |
| This Is Tony Booth | 33 | ||
| 1974 | Happy Hour | 39 | |
| Workin' at the Car Wash Blues | — |
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 | |||
| 1970 | "Irma Jackson Irma Jackson "Irma Jackson" is a song by Bakersfield, California-based outlaw country artist Merle Haggard, released on his 1972 album Let Me Tell You About a Song. The song, which was about the then-controversial topic of an interracial romance, was actually written several years prior to 1972, but not... " |
67 | — | single only |
| "Give Me One Last Kiss and Go" | — | — | On the Right Track | |
| 1971 | "Cinderella" | 45 | — | The Key's in the Mailbox |
| 1972 | "The Key's in the Mailbox" | 15 | 26 | |
| "A Whole Lot of Somethin'" | 18 | — | ||
| "Lonesome 7-7203 Lonesome 7-7203 "Lonesome 7-7203" is a 1963 single by Hawkshaw Hawkins, written by Justin Tubb. It was the final single release of his career, released in 1963 on the King label.-History:... " |
16 | 7 | Lonesome 7-7203 | |
| 1973 | "When a Man Loves a Woman (The Way That I Love You)" |
32 | 17 | When a Man Loves a Woman (The Way That I Love You) |
| "Loving You" | 41 | 69 | This Is Tony Booth | |
| "Old Faithful" | 49 | 34 | ||
| "Secret Love" | 47 | — | Happy Hour | |
| "Happy Hour" | 49 | 82 | ||
| 1974 | "Lonely Street" | 84 | — | Workin' at the Car Wash Blues |
| "There Ain't Enough of Love to Go Around" | — | — | ||
| "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues Workin' at the Car Wash Blues "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" is a 1974 single written and recorded by Jim Croce. It was the second single released from his album Life and Times. It reached a peak of #32 in July 1974 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also the third single released after Jim Croce's passing in September... " |
27 | 18 | ||
| "Watch Out for Lucy" | 72 | — | singles only | |
| 1975 | "Down at the Corner Bar" | — | — | |
| "Fanny Lee (The Burlesque Queen)" | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Lady Alone" | — | — | |
| 1977 | "Letting Go" | 95 | — | |
| "All Night Long" | — | — |