Dec 14: The late great Charlie Rich was born in 1932

“I think a guy who’s had just the right amount of booze can sing the blues a hell of a lot better than a guy who is stone sober.”
~Charlie Rich

“Charlie Rich had the intuitive instinct to feel, see and hear pain, disappointment, happiness and joy and somehow transmute it into music. I don’t know anyone who has ever written or sung in a way that depicted more of the humanity of man, with greater melodic beauty, than Charlie Rich.”
~Sam Phillips

“Charlie Rich was the best. His talent and style knew no boundaries. After years of being the victim of stereotypical critics who could neither understand nor label him, Charlie’s beautiful, haunting voice, surrounded by his piano, was discovered by the world. I’m just glad I was around for the ride.”
~Billy Sherrill (Record Producer)

 Behind Closed Doors:

From Wikipedia:

Birth name	Charles Rich
Born	December 14, 1932 Colt, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	July 25, 1995 (aged 62) Hammond, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Country, Countrypolitan, Rockabilly, Jazz, Blues, Gospel
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Piano, Guitar
Years active	1958–1995
Labels	Sun, Groove / RCA, Smash Records, Hi Records, Epic, UA, Elektra, Sire Records
Associated acts	Roger Miller, Janie Fricke
Website	CharlieRich.com

Charles (Charlie) Rich (December 14, 1932 – July 25, 1995) was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.

In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver Fox. He is perhaps best remembered for a pair of 1973 hits, “Behind Closed Doors” and “The Most Beautiful Girl”. “The Most Beautiful Girl” topped the U.S. country singles charts, as well as the pop singles charts.

Life’s Little Ups And Downs:

Charlie Rich was simultaneously one of the most critically acclaimed and most erratic country singers of post-World War II era. Rich had all the elements of being one of the great country stars of the ’60s and ’70s, but his popularity never matched his critical notices. What made him a critical favorite also kept him from mass success. Throughout his career, Rich willfully bended genres, fusing country, jazz, blues, gospel, rockabilly, and soul. Though he had 45 country hits in a career that spanned nearly four decades, he became best-known for his lush, Billy Sherrill-produced countrypolitan records of the early ’70s. Instead of embracing the stardom those records brought him, Rich shunned it, retreating into semiretirement by the ’80s.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine (allmusic.com)

His best song: – Feel Like Going Home (Demo):

Album of the day:

Feel Like Going Home – The Essential Charlie Rich (1997):

-Egil & Hallgeir