Crossover Country Songs of the Sixties Quiz

Answer: El Paso

"El Paso" was recorded for Marty Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" in 1959. The song reached Number One on the Country and Pop charts the first week of January, 1960. "El Paso" also earned Robbins a Grammy Award for Best Country and Western Recording the following year.
Grady Martin played the Spanish style guitar on the recording while Bobby Sykes and Jim Glaser blended their voices with Marty's to provide the haunting harmonies. In 1966 Robbins recorded a sequel titled "Feleena (From El Paso)" and ten years later he followed with "El Paso City".
Marty's "Devil Woman" reached Number 16 on the Pop Charts in 1962. "Big Iron" made it to Number 26. "Don't Worry" was a 1961 Top Ten by Marty Robbins.

Answer: Faron Young

"Hello Walls" topped the Country charts for Faron Young in 1961 and reached an impressive Number 12 on the Pop charts. Willie Nelson composed "Hello Walls" and recorded it the following year on his "And Then I Wrote" album.
Webb Pierce discovered Faron Young while Young was performing at a local club in Shreveport, Louisiana. By the time Young was graduating from high school he was performing on the "Louisiana Hayride" radio broadcast. In 1952 "Goin' Steady" was released and became a Number two Country hit. In 1955 "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" became his first Number One Country single. "Hello Walls" was Faron's only Top Forty Pop crossover single.
"I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven" was a 1961 crossover release by Tex Ritter. "Three Hearts in a Tangle" was a 1961 Top Forty Pop single by Roy Drusky and Leroy Van Dyke went to Number Five on the Pop charts with "Walk On By".

Answer: King

"From a Jack to a King" was originally released in 1957 and failed to chart on either the US Country or Pop charts. When it was re-released in 1962 it became Miller's highest charting single on either chart. "From a Jack to a King" made it to Number Two on the Country charts and Number Six on the Pop charts.
Ned Miller gained fame as a songwriter before charting singles himself. He co-wrote "Dark Moon" which became a hit for Gale Storm and Bonnie Guitar. He composed several other hits for various artists and when he had Fabor Records re-release his composition "From a Jack to a King" he had his biggest hit. Miller struggled with stage fright and gave up performing in the seventies.
Ricky Van Shelton had a Number One hit when he recorded a version of "From a Jack to a King" in the eighties.

Answer: Abilene

After putting singles on the charts since 1956 "Abilene" finally topped the Country charts for George Hamilton IV and became his first and only hit to chart on both Country and Pop charts. He released "Fort Worth, Dallas or Houston" the following year.
George Hege Hamilton IV began his music career while a college student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He relocated to Nashville in the late fifties where he enjoyed Country chart success. In the sixties George's music began leaning toward a Folk style then later began singing Gospel songs. In 2011 he released his "In The Heart Of Texas" LP.
Trini Lopez's version of "Kansas City" went to Number 23 in 1963. "Detroit City" by Bobby Bare was a Number 16 hit on the Pop charts. "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" was a Top Twenty by Gene Pitney in 1963.

Answer: True

"Ringo" was the lead single from Lorne Greene's RCA album "Welcome to the Ponderosa". The only portion of the song that was sung was the word "Ringo". The song was primarily Lorne Greene relating the story of a fictional gunfighter named Ringo in the spoken word. While the song topped the US Pop Charts it did not reach the top of the Country charts, stalling at Number 21.
A version of "Ringo" in singing style was done by Riders in the Sky and several parodies of the song were recorded including "Gringo" by H.B. Barnum and Marty Cooper.
Although Lorne Greene recorded ten Western theme albums, "Ringo" would be his highest charting single on the US Pop and Country charts.

Answer: Jody Miller

Western actor Dale Robertson is credited with discovering Jody Miller while she was singing Folk songs in Los Angeles. In 1964 she recorded her first LP for the Capitol label and had a minor hit with "He Walks Like a Man". When Roger Miller had a hit with "King of the Road" Jody released "Queen of the House".

The song was a hit and eventually became Jody's signature song. The following year she earned a Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the song. Although she released several Top Twenty Country hits until 1979 "Queen of the House" was her highest charting US Pop single. Patti Page had a US Top Ten Pop single with "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" in 1965. Brenda Lee released the Number 12 "Too Many Rivers" in 1965. Barbara Lewis had a Top Twenty hit with "Make Me Your Baby".

Answer: The Tennessee Plowboy

Richard Edward "Eddy" Arnold charted several Number One hits on the Country charts over four decades. He was born in Henderson, Tennessee, and became known as The Tennessee Plowboy.
"The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me" was his second crossover hit in two years. In 1965 his recording of "Make the World Go Away" topped the US Country charts and went to Number Six on the Pop charts. "The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me" was a Number Two Country hit but stalled at Number 40 on the Pop charts in 1966. It would be Eddy's final Pop chart Top Forty hit of the sixties.
Arnold began his singing career on radio at age 16 and in 1944 signed a management contract with Colonel Tom Parker.
Ernest Tubb was known as The Texas Troubadour. Ray Price was called The Cherokee Cowboy and Roy Acuff became known as The King of Country Music.

Answer: McAllister

A verse in the song related "Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge". Bobbie Gentry wrote and recorded the hit song that spawned a movie. Gentry won three of the eight Grammy Awards for which she was nominated. She was born Roberta Lee Streeter in Chickasaw County, Mississippi.

She relocated to California and in 1967 she released "Mississippi Delta" with "Ode to Billie Joe" on the flip side. When "Ode to Billie Joe" began getting airplay the song sold over three million copies. Brother Taylor was the name of the preacher in the song. Becky Thompson was mentioned in the last verse. Carroll was the county mentioned in the song.

Answer: Harper Valley P.T.A.

Tom T. Hall composed "Harper Valley P.T.A.". When Jeannie C. Riley recorded the song she became the first female to top both the US Country and Pop charts. It was her first single and sold over six millions copies. Skeeter Davis declined an offer from Hall to record the song. Because other Country artists were scrambling to record the tune Plantation Records quickly recorded and released Riley's rendition. Riley received a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
"Harper Valley P.T.A." would be Jeannie's only crossover hit and her only Number One Country song. After failing to equal the success of the song Jeannie C. Riley began recording Gospel music in the seventies and released "Return to Harper Valley" in 1984.
"Hitch It to the Horse" by The Fantastic Johnny C went to Number 34 on the Pop charts. The New Colony Six released the Number 22 "I Will Always Think About You" in 1966 and "Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries" by Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson made it to Number 27 the same year.

Answer: A Boy Named Sue

Although "A Boy Named Sue" topped the Country charts in 1969, "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones kept the song from topping the Pop charts. Johnny Cash recorded "A Boy Named Sue" live while performing a concert at San Quentin State Prison in February, 1969, and released it as a single from his "At San Quentin" album in July.

The song stayed at the Number Two position for three weeks. Cash had previously placed songs on the US Pop charts, however, "A Boy Named Sue" would be Cash's only US Top Ten crossover hit. "Folsom Prison Blues" made it to Number 34 and "Daddy Sang Bass" was Number 42 on the Pop charts in 1968. "Ring of Fire" topped the Country charts in 1963.