Friday 23 January 2015

Joe Dowell born 23 January 1940


Joe Dowell (born January 23, 1940, Bloomington, Illinois) is an American pop singer.


Playing the guitar and writing songs from the age of thirteen, Dowell made his debut in an amateur talent show in the ninth grade, and later attended the University of Illinois. Joe had, what he calls, his "fourteen-and-a-half-minutes of fame," when his first recording session yielded a number one hit, "Wooden Heart", in 1961.
Elvis Presley had included the song, a centuries old German folk tune, on the soundtrack of his film, GI Blues, and it had become a big hit in Europe, but, RCA Victor had failed to release it as a single in the United States. Recorded at the suggestion of country producer Shelby Singleton, Dowell's version, featuring Ray Stevens on organ, became a phenomenal success. The first single to be released on Mercury's Smash subsidiary, "Wooden Heart" reached the top slot on the Billboard charts within ninety days.

"Wooden Heart", the first single released on Smash Records, shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. Joe was a senior at the University of Illinois when "Wooden Heart" topped the charts. In the wake of his success, Dowell wanted to become a songwriter in his own right, but due to contractual obligations, he was required to sing music owned by Smash's parent company, Mercury Records. He had two further hits, "The Bridge of Love" (US #50) and "Little Red Rented Rowboat" (US #23) in 1963.



Dowell was a victim of the music industry's darker side. Although he prided himself on being a "singer-songwriter", he was forced to record inferior material owned by Mercury. Thus, his debut album, Wooden Heart, was a disappointing showcase of cover tunes. When he rebelled against the practice, Dowell's recording contract was dropped.
Dowell went on to record one single for Monument Records and a folk album in the 1960s, and a number of singles and a gospel album for his own Journey label in the 1970s and 1980s. He also recorded a bicentennial EP for the Boy Scouts of America and radio jingles.
The popularity of Dowell's version of "Wooden Heart" allowed him to remain active as an entertainer. Launching a radio commercial production company, he built an extremely successful career as spokesperson for banks and financial institutions across the United States.
Bear Family Records released a CD on Joe Dowell's music, including unreleased recordings.
 (info edited from Wikipedia & AMG)




2 comments:

boppinbob said...

For Joe Dowell – Wooden Heart go here:
http://www11.zippyshare.com/v/MHJj3B7S/file.html
01 joe-dowell-wooden-heart(English version).mp3
02 joe-dowell-wonderland-by-night.mp3
03 joe-dowell-little-bo-peep.mp3
04 joe-dowell-you-don-t-have-a-wooden-heart.mp3
05 joe-dowell-poor-little-cupid.mp3
06 joe-dowell-auf-wiederseh-n-sweetheart.mp3
07 joe-dowell-i-too-have-no-wooden-heart.mp3
08 joe-dowell-i-wonder-who-s-spending-christmas-with-you.mp3
09 joe-dowell-the-sound-of-sadness.mp3
10 joe-dowell-little-dolly.mp3
11 joe-dowell-little-red-rented-rowboat.mp3
12 joe-dowell-the-happy-wanderer.mp3
13 joe-dowell-wooden-heart.mp3
14 joe-dowell-fraulein.mp3
15 joe-dowell-the-bridge-of-love.mp3
16 joe-dowell-nur-einmal-only-once.mp3
17 joe-dowell-morgen.mp3
18 joe-dowell-gift-of-love.mp3
19 joe-dowell-lilli-marlene-lady-of-the-lamplight.mp3
20 joe-dowell-no-secret.mp3
21 joe-dowell-just-love-me.mp3
22 joe-dowell-underneath-a-linden-tree.mp3
23 joe-dowell-oh-my-papa-o-mein-papa.mp3
24 joe-dowell-the-thorn-and-the-rose.mp3
25 joe-dowell-a-kiss-for-christmas-o-tannenbaum.mp3
26 joe-dowell-corrine-corrina.mp3
27 joe-dowell-everyday.mp3
28 joe-dowell-i-forgot-to-remember-to-forget.mp3
29 joe-dowell-a-swingin-school.mp3
30 joe-dowell-100-lbs-of-clay.mp3
31 joe-dowell-young-love.mp3
32 joe-dowell-dream-lover.mp3
33 joe-dowell-moody-river.mp3

zephyr said...

Thanks for Joe Bob this type of thing happened to so many singers and sometimes hard to realise just how hard it could be trying to keep up