- Dickey Lee
-
Dickey Lee Birth name Royden Dickey Lipscomb Born September 21, 1936 Origin Memphis, Tennessee Genres Country Occupations Singer-songwriter Instruments Guitar Years active 1957-present Labels Tampa Records, Sun Records, Smash Records, TCF Hall Records, RCA Victor Records, Mercury Records Royden Dickey Lipscomb[1] (born 21 September 1936, Memphis, Tennessee), known professionally as Dickey Lee (sometimes misspelled Dickie Lee or Dicky Lee), is an American pop/country singer and songwriter, best known for the 1960s teenage tragedy songs "Patches" and "Laurie (Strange Things Happen)."
Contents
Career
Lee made his first recordings in his hometown of Memphis for Tampa Records and Sun Records in 1957-58. He achieved his first chart success in 1962, when his composition "She Thinks I Still Care" was a hit for George Jones (covered by Elvis Presley, Connie Francis and later Anne Murray as "He Thinks I Still Care"). Later that year, "Patches," written by Barry Mann and Larry Kobler and recorded by Lee for Smash Records, rose to #6. The song tells in waltz-time the story of teenage lovers of different social classes whose parents forbid their love. The girl drowns herself in the "dirty old river." The singer concludes: "It may not be right, but I'll join you tonight/ Patches I'm coming to you." Because of the teen suicide theme, the song was banned by a number of radio stations. However, it sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[2]
Lee had a #14 hit in 1963 with a song he co-wrote, a conventional rocker, "I Saw Linda Yesterday." The song has a strong resemblance to Dion DiMucci's #1 pop hit, "Runaround Sue," released two years earlier. In 1965, he returned to teen tragedy with "Laurie (Strange Things Happen)," a song related to the urban legends known as the vanishing hitchhiker and Resurrection Mary.
After the 1960s, Lee devoted his efforts to country music performing and songwriting. His 1970s country hits as a singer include "Never Ending Song of Love," "Rocky" (another bitter-sweet song, written by Jay Stevens of Springfield, MO - a.k.a. Woody P. Snow), "Angels, Roses, and Rain," and "9,999,999 Tears."
He co-wrote the 1994 Tracy Byrd hit "The Keeper of the Stars," and has written or co-written songs for a number of other prominent country artists, including George Strait, Charley Pride, and Reba McEntire.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995. Lee is included as co-writer and singer on singer-songwriter Michael Saxell's 2005 album Wonky Windmill on the song "Two Men".
Discography
Albums
Year Album Chart Positions Label US Country US 1962 The Tale of Patches — 50 Smash 1965 Laurie and the Girl from Peyton Place — — TCF Hall 1971 Never Ending Song of Love 12 — RCA Victor 1972 Ashes of Love 16 — Baby, Bye Bye — — 1973 Crying Over You 42 — Sparklin' Brown Eyes — — 1975 Rocky 8 — 1976 Angels, Roses and Rain 27 — 1979 Dickey Lee — — Mercury 1980 Again — — 1981 Everybody Loves a Winner — — Singles
Year Single Chart Positions Album US Country US CAN Country CAN 1962 "Patches" "More Or Less"
— 6 — — The Tale of Patches 1963 "I Saw Linda Yesterday" — 14 — — singles only "Don't Wanna Think About Paula" — 68 — — "I Go Lonely" — — — — "Day the Sawmill Closed Down" — 104 — — 1964 "To the Aisle" — — — — "Me and My Teardrops" — — — — "Big Brother" "She's Walking Away"
— 101 — — 1965 "Laurie (Strange Things Happen)" — 14 — 6 Laurie And The Girl From Peyton Place "Girl from Peyton Place" — 73 — 23 1966 "Good Girl Goin' Bad" — — — — singles only "Good Guy" — — — — 1968 "Red, Green, Yellow and Blue" — 107 — — 1970 "All Too Soon" — — — — "Special" — — — — Never Ending Song of Love 1971 "The Mahogany Pulpit" 55 — — — "Never Ending Song of Love" 8 — 31 — 1972 "I Saw My Lady" 25 — — — Ashes of Love "Ashes of Love" 15 — — — "Baby, Bye Bye" 31 — 15 — Baby, Bye Bye 1973 "Crying Over You" 43 — — — Crying Over You "Put Me Down Softly" 30 — — — Sparklin' Brown Eyes "Sparklin' Brown Eyes" 49 — — — 1974 "I Use the Soap" 46 — — — Rocky "Give Me One Good Reason" 90 — — — "The Busiest Memory in Town" 22 — 15 — 1975 "Door Is Always Open" — — — — "Rocky" 1 — 9 — 1976 "Angels, Roses and Rain" 9 — 1 — Angels, Roses and Rain "Makin' Love Don't Always Make Love Grow" 35 — — — "9,999,999 Tears" 3 52 3 85 1977 "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" 20 — 17 — singles only "Virginia, How Far Will You Go" 22 — 12 — "Peanut Butter" 21 — 39 — 1978 "Love Is a Word" 27 — — — "My Heart Won't Cry Anymore" 49 — — — "It's Not Easy" 58 — — — 1979 "I'm Just a Heartache Away" 58 — — — Dickey Lee "He's an Old Rock 'N' Roller" 94 — — — 1980 "Don't Look Back" 61 — — — "Workin' My Way to Your Heart" 30 — — — Again "Lost in Love" (w/ Kathy Burdick) 30 — — — 1981 "Honky Tonk Hearts" 37 — — — Everybody Loves a Winner "I Wonder If I Care as Much" 53 — — — 1982 "Everybody Loves a Winner" 56 — — — Notes
- ^ "Lee's entry on the BMI database". Broadcast Music Incorporated. http://repertoire.bmi.com/writer.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&fromrow=1&torow=25&querytype=WriterID&keyid=197839&keyname=LIPSCOMB%20ROYDEN%20D&CAE=18211323&Affiliation=BMI. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 147–148. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
External links
Categories:- 1936 births
- American country singers
- American country singer-songwriters
- Living people
- People from Memphis, Tennessee
- Smash Records artists
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
