Crying Time

"Crying Time"
Single by Ray Charles
from the album Crying Time
Released	1966
Format	7" (45 rpm)
Genre	R&B
Length	2:53
Label	ABC-Paramount Records
Writer(s)	Buck Owens
Producer	Sid Feller

"Crying Time" is a song from 1964 written by country music artist Buck Owens.

Owens recorded a version of his song, but it failed to reach the music charts. A cover version of "Crying Time" was then recorded by R&B singer Ray Charles, and his version proved to be a hit. Featuring backing vocals by the Jack Halloran Singers, the song reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1966.^[1] Charles' version of the song also peaked at number five on the R&B chart and spent three weeks at number one on the easy listening chart.^[2] In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 38 on the British pop chart. In addition, Charles' version of "Crying Time" won two Grammy Awards in 1967, in the categories Best R&B Recording and Best R&B Solo Performance.

Charles intended his version of Owens' song to be a tribute to the country music style he appreciated (Charles had successfully covered other country music songs in the past, such as "I Can't Stop Loving You"). He was quoted as saying that he didn't record "Crying Time" and other country songs written by Owens "out of disrespect [sic] for Buck. I'm crazy about Buck. But I heard something that fit my style. The key was keeping my style while watching my style work in different ways."^[2]

Ray Charles and Barbra Streisand performed the song as a duet on her 1973 album Barbra Streisand...And Other Musical Instruments. This cover was featured in the episode, "The Glass Is Always Cleaner", of the NBC drama series Las Vegas. Streisand also included a solo version of the song on her 1974 album ButterFly.

Dutch singer Andre Hazes recorded it for his 1989 blues-album Dit Is Wat Ik Wil (This Is What I Want) as Jammer (It's a pity), a Jan Akkerman-assisted warning for earth-pollution. It was released as a single, backed with a non-translated version of Working in a Coal Mine.

Wanda Jackson and Elvis Costello recorded a version which appears on Jackson's 2003 album Heart Trouble.

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen recorded a live version on the 1974 album Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas.

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1966 (U.S.)

References

1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
2. ^ ^{a b} Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)