Vernon Oxford
Encyclopedia
Vernon Oxford is an American country music
singer and guitarist.
, where his father played old-time fiddle
. He began playing professionally in Utah
in 1960, mostly playing in the Kansas area in the early 1960s, then relocated to Nashville in 1964. In 1965 he met Harlan Howard
, who got him signed to RCA Victor and helped him find material to record. He then released seven singles and one LP, Woman Let Me Sing You a Song; none of them charted, and he was soon dropped from RCA.
His career saw a resurgence in Britain
, where he was first rediscovered in the middle of the 1970s. A best-of was issued there in 1974, and RCA signed him again to tour there. His hit singles "Shadows of My Mind", "Redneck (The Redneck National Anthem)", and "A Good Old Fashioned Saturday Night Honky Tonk Barroom Brawl" (U.S. Country #55, 1977) reinvigorated his career in America; in Britain, he was well-known for "I've Got to Get Peter Off Your Mind" and "Field of Flowers". After a break of several years, he began a career as a gospel
singer in 1981.
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 and guitarist.
Biography
Oxford was raised in Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, where his father played old-time fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
. He began playing professionally in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in 1960, mostly playing in the Kansas area in the early 1960s, then relocated to Nashville in 1964. In 1965 he met Harlan Howard
Harlan Howard
Harlan Perry Howard was a prolific American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote a large number of popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists...
, who got him signed to RCA Victor and helped him find material to record. He then released seven singles and one LP, Woman Let Me Sing You a Song; none of them charted, and he was soon dropped from RCA.
His career saw a resurgence in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where he was first rediscovered in the middle of the 1970s. A best-of was issued there in 1974, and RCA signed him again to tour there. His hit singles "Shadows of My Mind", "Redneck (The Redneck National Anthem)", and "A Good Old Fashioned Saturday Night Honky Tonk Barroom Brawl" (U.S. Country #55, 1977) reinvigorated his career in America; in Britain, he was well-known for "I've Got to Get Peter Off Your Mind" and "Field of Flowers". After a break of several years, he began a career as a 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....
singer in 1981.
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Woman, Let Me Sing You a Song | RCA |
| 1975 | By Public Demand | |
| 1977 | I Just Want to Be a Country Singer | |
| 1978 | A Tribute to Hank Williams | Meteor |
| Nobody's Child | ||
| 1979 | If I Had My Wife to Love Over | Rounder |
| 1980 | His and Hers | |
| 1981 | A Better Way of Life | |
| 1982 | Keepin' It Country |
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 | |||
| 1974 | "How High Does Cotton Grow" | — | — | single only |
| 1975 | "I Wish You Would Leave Me Alone" | — | — | By Public Demand |
| "Giving the Pill" | — | — | I Just Want to Be a Country Singer | |
| "Shadows of My Mind" | 54 | 38 | ||
| 1976 | "Your Wanting Me Is Gone" | 83 | — | |
| "Redneck! (The Redneck National Anthem)" | 17 | — | ||
| "Clean Your Own Tables" | 60 | — | ||
| 1977 | "A Good Old Fashioned Saturday Night Honky Tonk Barroom Brawl" | 55 | — | singles only |
| "Only the Shadows Know" | 87 | — | ||
| "Redneck Roots" | 95 | — | ||
| 1981 | "His and Hers" | — | — | His and Hers |
| "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" | — | — |