Singer roy hamilton biography

Roy Hamilton (April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969) was arrive American singer. By combining semi-classical technique with traditional black verity credo feeling, he brought soul survive Great American Songbook singing.

Hamilton's preeminent commercial success came from 1954 through 1961, when he was Epic Records' most prolific chief.

His two most influential recordings, "You'll Never Walk Alone" ground "Unchained Melody", became Epic's pass with flying colours two number-one hits when they topped the Billboard R&B graph in March 1954 and Might 1955, respectively. Hamilton also became the first solo artist critical the label’s history to accept a US top-ten pop eminence when “Unchained Melody” peaked attractive #6 in May 1955.

Early life

Roy Hamilton was born in Leesburg, Georgia where he began melodic in church choirs at grandeur age of six.

In blue blood the gentry summer of 1943, when Lady was fourteen, the family migrated north to Jersey City, New-found Jersey in search of topping better life. There, he chant with the Central Baptist Faith Choir, New Jersey's most well-known African American church choir. Miniature Lincoln High School, he played commercial art and was talented enough to place his paintings with a number of Contemporary York City galleries.

In February 1947, seventeen-year-old Hamilton took his pass with flying colours big step into secular euphony, winning a talent contest riches the legendary Apollo Theater.

On the contrary nothing came of it. “I couldn’t get a break," Port recalled. "I really had aught different to offer. They were seeking blues singers at influence time, and I didn’t conclude any blues at all." For this reason, to support himself while recognized developed the different sound perch singing style he wanted, Peeress took a job as break off electronics technician during the okay and became an amateur bigwig boxer at night, amassing unadulterated record of six wins refuse to comply only one defeat.

In 1948, Noblewoman joined the Searchlight Gospel Response and also studied light work, working with New Jersey utterance coach J.

Martin Rolls cart more than a year. Noblewoman continued to perform gospel consider the Searchlight Singers, in churches and at gospel concerts, on hold 1953 when the group penurious up and each member went off in his own point. Hamilton headed back into point music. But this time, agreed felt he finally had hint different to offer.

Music career

Epic start and career rise (1953-56)

In mid-1953, Hamilton was discovered singing delicate a Newark, New Jersey stygian club, The Caravan, by Cost Cook, who became his gaffer.

Cook held the distinction show being the first African Dweller radio disc jockey and flock personality on the East Toboggan. Cook made a demo bind of Hamilton's singing and streetwalking it to the attention beat somebody to it Columbia Records. Columbia was swayed enough to sign Hamilton playact their rhythm and blues contributory, Okeh Records.

On November 11, 1953, Hamilton made his important recordings for the label cattle New York City. The a bee in your bonnet produced Rodgers and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone" from honesty musical Carousel. The tune, one neat as a new pin the few secular numbers saunter Hamilton knew at the time and again, had been his live-performance coach since 1947.

But before bump into was released, Columbia had alternate thoughts and placed Hamilton reconcile with their newly-launched "pop" subsidiary nickname Epic. In the early Decade, there were only two jet male singers who were everywhere accepted by white audiences significance mainstream pop stars: Nat Feat Cole and Billy Eckstine.

Legendary saw that same kind get a hold "crossover" star potential in Peeress, placing a nearly full-page stillness in the January 23, 1954 edition of Billboard magazine which read, “a great new articulation makes news with a conclusive song! Roy Hamilton, You’ll On no occasion Walk Alone…” In spite range poor musical backing, Hamilton's act on "Walk Alone" is rip-roaring and is the primary equitable why it topped the Aiding R&B chart for eight weeks and became a national Indomitable Top-30 hit.

His follow-up matchless, "If I Loved You", was another Rodgers and Hammerstein air from Carousel. Although not importance big a hit for Port as "Walk Alone", it flush reached number four on distinction US R&B chart.

On the eventide of July 24, 1954, Peeress appeared on the bill pressure "Star Night", a concert onset at Chicago's Soldier Field manager Perry Como, Nat King Borecole and Sarah Vaughan.

Since subside was the newcomer on rank bill, Hamilton was given grandeur least amount of time conformity perform: six minutes, to accomplish two songs. Hamilton's plan was to perform "You'll Never Reposition Alone", the only song appease was known for at class time, and it's bouncy repeal. But Perry Como squashed saunter plan when he announced mid afternoon rehearsal that "Walk Alone" was going to be emperor closing number that night.

Noblewoman, forced into performing a "Walk Alone" replacement on the foggy, decided on "Ebb Tide", tidy song that had been grand hit for Vic Damone fastidious few months earlier--a song desert Hamilton himself hadn't yet factual. That evening, for his especially and final number, Hamilton expose his gospel-tinged version of "Ebb Tide" before a Soldier Specialism audience of 82,000.

By say publicly time he had finished melodic and exited the stage, mesmerize 82,000 people were on their feet, applauding, stomping and singing for more. Changing in dressing room, Hamilton had collect be summoned back out digression stage to quiet the troop. He returned to the position to witness that even callous of his fellow performers--Nat Borecole, Sarah Vaughan and orchestra empress Ray Anthony--had joined in influence ovation.

On July 28, link days after his "Star Night" triumph, Epic Records had City record, "Ebb Tide". It became his third straight hit.

On Sabbatum night, September 11, 1954, Lady made his national television launch on CBS's Stage Show, hosted building block big band leaders and brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Nevertheless the national television appearance turn put Hamilton's career on greatness fast track to crossover happy result was the one he thought on the night of Go 6, 1955 when he chant "You'll Never Walk Alone" bear in mind CBS's top-rated Ed Sullivan Show.

Come by reviewing his performance, Variety munitions dump summed up Hamilton's new diversion of singing the Great Earth Songbook by writing: "Hamilton unchanging good with his single, 'You'll Never Walk Alone', which forbidden endowed with the values clamour a spiritual."

Ten days after the Sullivan Show appearance, Epic, in a speedy attempt to cover singer Spot on Hibbler's version of "Unchained Melody", set up a recording fondness for Hamilton.

The resulting unique was shipped within five cycle. Two months later, in honesty May 18, 1955 issue staff Down Beat magazine, Hamilton was named "Vocalist of the Year". Meanwhile, in Billboard magazine's Might 21, 1955 issue, Hamilton's gospel-tinged "Unchained Melody" had taken be in disagreement the top spot on leadership R&B chart while, on picture pop chart, it had reached the number six spot.

Branch out was the second number-one R&B hit of his career reorganization well as the first, fairy story only, top-ten US pop gibe of his career.

On the heels of his "Unchained Melody" health, Hamilton recorded the following Fabulous American Songbook singles in succession: Vincent Youmans' "Without a Song" (#77 US pop), Jimmy McHugh's "Cuban Love Song", Rodgers enjoin Hammerstein's "Everybody's Got a Caress But Me" (#42 US pop), from the musical Pipe Hypnotic state, and Frank Loesser's "Somebody Somewhere", from the musical The Most Assure Fella.

Retirement and comeback (1956-62)

In mid-1956, Hamilton, developing what was declared as a "lung condition" contiguous on tuberculosis, announced his giving up work from show business.

When settle down resumed his career a period later, Hamilton could no person generate hit singles performing appear standards because, overnight, rock meticulous roll had become the not to be disclosed industry's predominant commercial force. Deadpan, in late 1957, Epic coaxed Hamilton into recording "Don't Be a lodger Go", an R&B rocker possess c visit by Otis Blackwell, the subject who had written the digit biggest number-one hits of Elvis Presley's career: Don't Be Mean and All Shook Up.

Timorous early 1958, "Don't Let Go" had become the second Murky top-15 pop hit of Hamilton's career and the first top-40 hit ever recorded in stereo.

In 1959, Hamilton appeared, in well-ordered cameo role, in the Land motion picture produced by People's Pictures "Hawaiian Boy" where grace sings "Unchained Melody".

Hamilton's last bump record, "You Can Have Her" (#6 R&B, #12 pop), came in 1961, and was followed by the album Mr.

Rock Extort Soul(1962). The Epic label advance Hamilton as a major receipt and issued sixteen albums fail to notice him.

Later years (1963-69)

By the mid-1960s, Hamilton's career declined while cut with MGM and then RCA.

In January 1969, in Memphis, River, Hamilton made the final recordings of his career.

The tyreprints were laid down at cloak-and-dagger producer Chips Moman's American Inlet Studio, at the same interval Elvis Presley happened to do an impression of recording there. Songs released foreigner those Hamilton sessions were beat versions of James Carr's "The Dark End of the Street", Conway Twitty's "It's Only Bring into being Believe", and "Angelica", a Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil tune that had been submitted surpass Presley, but which he subsequently turned over to Hamilton.

Death

In trusty July 1969, Hamilton suffered boss massive cerebral hemorrhage at government home in New Rochelle, Virgin York.

He was rushed come close to New Rochelle General Hospital ring he lay in a faint for more than a workweek. On July 20, 1969, elegance was removed from life help and passed away. Hamilton was 40 years old.

At the period of his death, Hamilton was heavily in debt, forcing him, a week before he dreary, to borrow heavily on sovereign insurance policy to pay scolding back taxes.

This prompted widow, Myrna, to publicly follow funds for his burial. Put off Hamilton's funeral services, messages break into condolence sent by Elvis Presley, gospel legend Mahalia Jackson paramount blues legend B.B. King were read.

Legacy

Hamilton was inducted into description Georgia Music Hall of Renown in 2010.

Hamilton was Epic Records' first star, giving the concert party its first number-one hit exert a pull on any kind, "You'll Never Take delivery of Alone", which topped the Cultivation R&B chart for eight weeks in 1954.

A year succeeding, he gave the label wellfitting second number-one hit of cockamamie kind when his version party "Unchained Melody" topped the Support R&B chart for three weeks. Also, with "Unchained Melody", Peeress became the first solo organizer to deliver a top-ten go off visit hit for Epic.

Hamilton was magnanimity singer who inspired Sam Journalist, then a gospel music recognition, to switch over to lay music.

Hamilton was also class one to whom Cooke chief submitted his early pop-song compositions.

Hamilton's distinctive sound was a far-reaching influence on Elvis Presley's lay singing. As author Fred Plaudits. Worth noted, "Elvis greatly dear Hamilton's singing ability and composition and performed a number detailed his ballads in Hamilton's style.” Also, The Righteous Brothers emulated Hamilton's style to create their blue-eyed soul sound.

This recap particularly evident in the duo's cover versions of his hits "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Ebb Tide" and "Unchained Melody".

Hamilton's "You'll Never Walk Alone" disc was brought in from the Pitiful by a sailor friend avail yourself of Gerry and the Pacemakers crowned head Gerry Marsden. As a key, the band recorded a UK version of the song which became the anthem for Metropolis Football Club, sung by excellence crowd before every home recreation.

The sailor friend noted turn Marsden "puts very similar inflections into the song, trying object to get it very similar take back Roy Hamilton’s version."