Comments on: 100 Greatest Men: #34. Charlie Rich

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 01:20:53 +0000

If both of you – Kevin and Paul – think so much of Charlie Rich’s early recordings, I’m going to go back and give them another listen with more informed ears this time around.

By: Paul W Dennis

Paul W Dennis — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 02:21:31 +0000

Calling Charlie Rich a country artist is like referring Wolfgang Puck as a cook. There was so more to Charlie Rich than his hits – if you go back and listen to his recordings from the 1960s you would find equal amounts of soul, jazz, country, blues and pop in the blend. His best recordings usually weren’t his biggest hits

In interviews Rich cited eclectic big band leader Stan Kenton as his chief musical inspiration. While Charlie was not a Kenton clone, the diversity of his music was a chip off the Kentonian block. Charlie’s final album, the magnificent PICTURES AND PAINTINGS demonstrated that there was no genre of music of which he was not the master

I think it was remiss not to list 1960′s “Lonely Weekends” and 1965′s “Mohair Sam” among the the essential Charlie Rich songs. While each landed just outside the Billboard top twenty, both were very successful in the parts of the USA – reaching top five status in many locales. A number of reputable reference sources list “Mohair Sam” as having sold a million copies – I suspect it pulled up just short of that figure in the USA but it was a huge record and also went top ten on the Candian pop charts so it probably did reach a million in North America.

You may have him ranked a little too high as far as his popularity and influence with modern brain-dead country is concerned, but few artista made as consistently good recordings as Charlie Rich

By: Erik North

Erik North — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:06:04 +0000

I thought this would be an interesting bit of trivia re. Charlie Rich: Both “There Won’t Be Anymore” and “A Very Special Love Song” were in the Pop Top 40 simultaneously for a couple of weeks in the spring of 1974, which, even in the crossover-crazy 70s, was kind of a rare thing.

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:24:24 +0000

“David Allan Coe appeared at #95.”

Yes, I know. Guess I shouldn’t be so flippant with my facetiousness. ;)

By: Ben Foster

Ben Foster — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 23:56:43 +0000

David Allan Coe appeared at #95.

I enjoyed the article, Kevin. I’m not extensively familair with Rich’s work beyond his two biggest hit singles, but I will try to brush up on it.

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 23:11:12 +0000

I’ve heard most of those recordings – I made it a point to listen to a lot of Charlie Rich during my fascination with the 1970s in country music just last year. I didn’t hear too much worth repeating. But if those recordings were so influential as to merit a statement like “his forward-looking fusion of multiple styles of music making him one of the genre’s most eclectic and visionary artists of all time”, wouldn’t even the casual country fan be aware of those works? If only by covers and mentions by other big-name artists? By comparison, David Allan Coe’s run of Columbia/Sherrill-produced albums were recorded in this era and were just as, or more, important than anything Rich released. Coe made a lot of important contributions as a songwriter and his image still looms large. Still, I bet Coe is not on the front end of this list.

It’s all subjective and this is, of course, your list. We’ll have to agree to disagree here, I guess. And thanks for the exchange.

By: Kevin John Coyne

Kevin John Coyne — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:42:29 +0000

We wouldn’t be having a discussion about Tammy Wynette either, if it wasn’t for Billy Sherrill’s production, and George Jones would be a lot lower on this list, too.

I have a steadfast rule about not getting pulled into comment threads on the 100 Greatest lists that I’m not sure why I’m breaking, but I think that you’re making some remarkably broad comments about an artist that by your own admission, you’re not that familiar with.

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:15:55 +0000

You may be right. I’m not overly familiar with Charlie Rich’s catalog prior to Billy Sherrill giving him a commercially viable style. I do like “I Almost Lost My Mind” and “Lifes Little Ups and Downs” from his PIR/Sun years though.

I just always felt like he bore little artistry and certainly very little influence in the overall scheme of country’s history. He was an above par piano bar singer at best; a short-lived studio creation who, had it not been for Sherrill’s influence and production, it’s likely neither you or I would know his name and wouldn’t be having this discussion.

By: Kevin John Coyne

Kevin John Coyne — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:49:55 +0000

You need to brush up a bit more then. Rich’s string of albums in the sixties and seventies are legendary. He was way ahead of his time. “Life’s Little Ups and Downs” alone. “Life’s Little Ups and Downs” alone.

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:46:42 +0000

Wow. I am surprised Charlie Rich even made this list, and especially so that you’ve placed him above Milsap, Skaggs, Yoakam, etc. as one of country music’s greatest male talents. His run at the top lasted all of 5 years. For those of us who weren’t around to see his glory days, Rich is more famous for burning the envelope onstage at the CMA Awards than for either of his big hit singles. And while “Behind Closed Doors” did find some pop culture significance past its shelf date, Rich and his music have remained little more than a campy, remember-this kinda footnote in country music. You certainly think more of his ‘artistry’ than I ever did.