Dickey Lee
Royden Dickey Lipscomb[1] (born September 21, 1936), 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)".
Dickey Lee | |
|---|---|
 Dickey Lee at Alpena High School, Alpena, Michigan, December 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Royden Dickey Lipscomb |
| Born | September 21, 1936 |
| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels | Tampa, Sun, Smash, TCF Hall, RCA, Mercury |
| Associated acts | Razzy Bailey |
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 (later recorded by Elvis Presley, Connie Francis, Leon Russell 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 No. 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 No. 14 hit in 1963 with a song he co-wrote, a conventional rocker, "I Saw Linda Yesterday". 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 two remakes of pop songs, Delaney & Bonnie's "Never Ending Song of Love" and Austin Roberts's "Rocky" (another bitter-sweet song, written by Jay Stevens of Springfield, MO – a.k.a. Woody P. Snow), in addition to original songs such as "Angels, Roses, and Rain", and "9,999,999 Tears". He also co-wrote several songs with Bob McDill, including "Someone Like You" (by Emmylou Harris), "I've Been Around Enough To Know" (first recorded by Jo-El Sonnier in 1973, but would become a No. 1 hit in 1984 for John Schneider), and "The Door is Always Open" (by several artists, most notably by Dave and Sugar).
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 | — | — | N/A |
| "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" | — | — | — | — | N/A |
| "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 | "The 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 | — | N/A |
| "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" (with 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. Archived from the original on November 24, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
- 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
- Allmusic
- NAMM Oral History Interview July 10, 2015
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