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Russ Hamilton (singer)

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Not to be confused with Russell Hamilton (singer-songwriter), an American singer-songwriter known by the stage name "Russell".
For other people named Russ Hamilton, see Russ Hamilton (disambiguation).

Russ Hamilton
Born(1932-01-19)19 January 1932
Liverpool, England
Died11 October 2008(2008-10-11) (aged 76)
Flintshire, Wales
GenresPop
OccupationSinger
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar

Russ Hamilton (born Ronald Hulme; 19 January 1932 – 11 October 2008)[1] was an English singer and songwriter. Hamilton made the Top 10 in the United Kingdom with "We Will Make Love", but in the United States, it was the B-side, "Rainbow", which made the Top 10.[2]

Biography

Early life

Russ Hamilton was born as Ronald Hulme in Everton, Liverpool, Lancashire in 1932.[1] Prior to his fame, he worked as a cost clerk.[2]

Career

He was one of the first singer-songwriters of pop music to have come out of the city, and he was the first Liverpool artist to hit the United States music scene with his song "Rainbow", several years before the Beatles. In 1957, chart success in the U.S. was very unusual for a British performer, and Hamilton commuted from one side of the Atlantic to the other to meet the demands for live performances.[3]

A former Redcoat,[2] Hamilton's first hit in the United Kingdom was "We Will Make Love", which he recorded in 1957 for Oriole Records.[4] However, in the U.S., it was the B-side, "Rainbow", that became the hit; according to Hamilton himself, it was mistakenly thought to be the A-side of the single.[4] This produced the possibly unique event of a single reaching the Top 10 in the UK, while its flipside achieved the same result across the Atlantic. "We Will Make Love" peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart,[5] and "Rainbow" reached No. 4 on Billboard's Hot 100.[6] The record sold over one million copies, and reached gold disc status.[6] We Will Make Love was written about a girl from Blackpool named Patricia Hitchin, who Hamilton had fallen in love with.[2]

Hamilton followed this success later that same year with another self-penned item, "Wedding Ring", which reached the Top 20 in the UK.[2]

In 1960, he was invited to Nashville, Tennessee and signed up with MGM Records.[3] In Nashville, he recorded "Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" with the Jordanaires and Chet Atkins. His success with record releases did not improve, and by the early 1960s he had dropped away from the foreground of the pop music scene.[3] He has written many songs which were popular, especially in Asia. "Little One", a song he wrote for his niece in Canada, was his personal favourite. Other songs such as "I Still Belong to You", "I Had a Dream" and "Reprieve of Tom Dooley" were quite popular. He performed the song "I Had A Dream" on the film spin-off of the TV show Six-Five Special.[2] However, this hit has subsequently received little airplay.

Death

Hamilton died on 11 October 2008, at the age of 76, at his home in Buckley, North Wales.[1][2]

Discography

Albums

Title Year Note
Rainbows 1958 [7]

Singles

A-Side B-Side Year Note
I Don't Know Why My Mother's Eyes 1957 [7]
I Had A Dream Little One 1957
Little One I Had A Dream 1957
We Will Make Love Rainbow 1957
Wedding Ring I Still Belong To You 1957
The Things I Didn't Say All Alone 1957
My Unbreakable Heart I Found You 1957
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now September In The Rain 1958
Tiptoe Through the Tulips Drifting And Dreaming 1958
Strange Are The Ways Of Love Things I Didn't Say 1958
The Reprieve Of Tom Dooley Dreaming Of You 1959
Smile, Smile, Smile, And Sing, Sing, Sing Shadow 1959
Choir Girl Gonna Find Me A Bluebird 1960
Folks Get Married In The Spring It's A Sin To Tell A Lie 1960
Valley Of Love Loneliest Boy In Town 1964
Tomorrow Rainbow 1970

Extended Plays

Title Tracks Year Note
Russ Hamilton Little One / I Had A Dream / I Don't Know Why / My Mother's Eyes 1958 [7]

Russ Hamilton Oriole EP-7005 We will make love/Rainbow/Wedding ring/I still belong to you.1957

References

  1. ^ a b c Doc Rock. "2008 July to December". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Russ Hamilton: Liverpudlian singer-songwriter who had a hit in America years before the Beatles – Obituaries – News". The Independent. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 183/4. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  4. ^ a b Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 42. CN 5585.
  5. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004. London: HarperCollins. p. 339. ISBN 0007179316.
  6. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 91. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  7. ^ a b c "Russ Hamilton". Discogs. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
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