| Jimmy Hughes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1938 (age 73–74) Leighton, Alabama, United States |
| Genres | Rhythm and blues, psychedelic rock |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter, artist |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Labels | Guyden Vee-Jay Atlantic Stax |
| Associated acts | Backed by the rhythm section of Terry Thompson, David Briggs, Norbert Putnam and Jerry Carrigan Toured with Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Bobby Womack |
Jimmy Hughes (born 1938)[1][2] is an American former rhythm and blues singer, whose biggest successes in the mid 1960s, notably his hit "Steal Away", were important in the early development of the Muscle Shoals music industry.
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Life and career [link]
Hughes, a cousin of Percy Sledge, was born and raised in Leighton, Alabama, close to Muscle Shoals. He began singing in a gospel quartet, The Singing Clouds, while at high school. In 1962, he auditioned for record producer Rick Hall at his FAME Studios. Hall was impressed, and recorded Hughes on a song, "I'm Qualified", that Hall had co-written with Quin Ivy. The record was leased to the Guyden label in Philadelphia, but was not a hit. Hughes returned to his day job at a rubber factory, and began singing secular R&B songs in local clubs.[3][4]
Early in 1964, he returned to Hall with a powerful ballad he had written, "Steal Away", partly based on the gospel song "Steal Away to Jesus", and recorded the song in one take,[3] backed by the studio rhythm section of Terry Thompson, David Briggs, Norbert Putnam and Jerry Carrigan.[3] Hall and his friend Dan Penn then promoted the record around radio stations in the South, and it rose to # 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3][4] The record has been cited as "a prototype not only for subsequent great soul singers such as Johnnie Taylor and Al Green, but also would help define the signature Muscle Shoals sound."[5] On the basis of Hughes' record, Hall signed a national distribution deal with Vee-Jay Records for his FAME label. Hughes' follow-up record, "Try Me", reached # 65 on the Hot 100, and he recorded an album, Steal Away, released on the Vee-Jay label, which included the first songwriting collaborations between Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham.[4][5] He also toured with Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Bobby Womack and others.[3]
Hughes' next few singles were unsuccessful, as Vee-Jay Records diverted their attention to The Beatles and The Four Seasons, and then folded. However, in 1966, after the success of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman", Hall negotiated a new deal for his label to be distributed by Atlantic Records. Hughes returned to the charts with "Neighbor, Neighbor" (# 65 pop, # 4 R&B), "I Worship the Ground You Walk On" (# 25 R&B), and "Why Not Tonight" (# 90 pop, # 5 R&B), before moving to the Atlantic label itself with "It Ain't What You Got" (# 43 R&B, 1968).[1][6]
Early in 1968, Hughes moved to Stax Records, where his recordings were issued on the subsidiary Volt label. His first record for the label, "I Like Everything About You", reached # 21 on the R&B chart, but later records were less successful. At the time, Stax was undergoing a major reorganisation with new management and new artists. Although his records, including a 1969 album Something Special, were produced by label boss Al Bell, Hughes later stated that he felt like the "low man on the totem pole" at the label, and became frustrated by what he saw as a lack of promotion.[4] He also tired of touring and being away from his family, and in 1970 gave up recording and performing.[5] He retrained, and got a government job making parts for nuclear power plants in the Tennessee River Valley, in later years only singing as a member of the congregation of his local church in Leighton.[3][5]
Several compilation albums of Hughes' recordings have been issued in recent years.
Discography [link]
Singles (chart hits only) [link]
| Year | Title | Label & Cat. No. | U.S. Pop[7] | U.S. R&B[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Steal Away" | Fame 6401 |
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| 1964 | "Try Me" | Fame 6403 |
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| 1966 | "Neighbor, Neighbor" | Fame 1003 |
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| 1966 | "I Worship The Ground You Walk On" | Fame 1006 |
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| 1967 | "Why Not Tonight" | Fame 1011 |
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| 1968 | "It Ain't What You Got" | Atlantic 2454 |
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| 1968 | "I Like Everything About You" | Volt 4002 |
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Albums [link]
- Steal Away (Vee-Jay, 1965)
- Why Not Tonight? (Atco, 1967)
- Something Special (Volt, 1969)
References [link]
- ^ a b Biography by Bill Dahl at Allmusic
- ^ Note: Other sources give an apparently incorrect birth year of 1935, and Allmusic states incorrectly that he died in 1997.
- ^ a b c d e f Jimmy Hughes at SoulTracks
- ^ a b c d Profile of Jimmy Hughes at The "B" Side
- ^ a b c d Legendary Jimmy Hughes' work on FAME revisited, Frost Illustrated, 25 February 2009
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 201.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc.. p. 326. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ a b Billboard did not publish an R&B chart during this period.
- ^ Jimmy Hughes discography at The Soul of the Net
External links [link]
https://wn.com/Jimmy_Hughes_(singer)
James Hughes
James Hughes may refer to:
Sports
Politicians
Jimmy Hughes (British musician)
James C Hughes (born 21 August 1958, London) is an English bassist who has played with many punk rock and new wave bands, and whose career as a rock musician and writer continues to this day.
Born to Irish parents in London, Hughes, inspired by the glam rock sensibilities of his hero, Ziggy Stardust, and the bass playing of Free's Andy Fraser, began his career in music at the birth of punk rock with The Banned, enjoying immediate success as their first single "Little Girl" broke into the UK Top 30. After The Banned dissolved, Hughes joined Cowboys International, forming a rhythm section with drummer Terry Chimes, formerly of The Clash, together playing on the album The Original Sin in 1979, and the subsequent tours, television and radio appearances of the band. After a final TV appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test (22 January 1980), Hughes left Cowboys International and joined Nick Kents group The Subterraneans, subsequently appearing on their only single "My Flamingo" which was released in early 1981.
Jimmy Hughes (footballer)
James "Jimmy" Hughes (August 29, 1909 in Coxhoe, England – January 1966) was an English footballer, who played as a forward.
Career
Hughes was a regular in the Army and served in the Second Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. When stationed at Catterick, he played several games for York City reserves as an amateur in the 1933–34 season.
After leaving the forces, he signed professionally for York in August 1934. He joined Hartlepools United in 1935 after making 17 appearances and scoring 5 goals for York. He returned to York in the same year after making eight appearances and scoring three goals in the league for Hartlepool. He established himself in the side and played in all of the FA Cup ties of the 1936–37 and 1937–38 seasons. He rejoined Hartlepools in 1939 after making 109 appearances and scoring 28 goals in his second spell for York.
During World War II, he was a prisoner of war in Germany.
