Charlie Rich Complete Singles Plus: The Sun Years 1958-1963 CD

Recorded between 1958 & 1963. Includes liner notes by Bill Dahl.

Anyone who only knows Charlie Rich from his mainstream country-pop years as "The Silver Fox"--the man responsible for "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" in the early 1970s--doesn't really know Charlie Rich. From 1958 to 1963, Rich was Sam Phillips's last great hope at Sun Records; the singer/songwriter stuck with the tiny Memphis company for an impressive length of time, and Phillips tried harder to break Rich than he had anyone since Elvis Presley. The problem was that Rich wrote so well in such a variety of styles that Phillips simply threw everything against the wall to see what would stick. Although the stylistic variety of Rich's Sun tenure meant that he only had one hit single, 1960's excellent "Lonely Weekends," it does make THE COMPLETE SINGLES PLUS an entertainingly dynamic listen. The collection swings from pure country to hopped-up rockabilly to some surprisingly sophisticated R&B and jazz sides, including a fine version of Chuck Willis's "It's Too Late."

The Sun Years 1958-1963. 25 Tracks.

Personnel: Charlie Rich (vocals, piano); Hank Garland, Roland Janes, Scotty Moore (guitar); Martin Willis (baritone saxophone); J.M. Van Eaton, Al Jackson, Jr., Buddy Harman (drums).

Liner Note Authors: Hank Davis; Bill Dahl.

Recording information: 08/17/1958-08/09/1962.

Producers: Sam Phillips, Bill Justis.

Compilation producers: Carey E. Mansfield, Bill Dahl.