[Vintage-Audio] Re RCA Nashville Musicians

[Robert Nickels]

Duane Fischer, W8DBF wrote:
>
>
> Hi All,
>
> Do any of you recall hearing the harmonica wizard, Charlie McCoy

Surprisingly I just looked into Charlie McCoy last week, after hearing 
an interview with him on the XM 50s channel.    I'll paste the full bio 
below, as I found it quite interesting to learn that he was more than 
just a session harmonica player.   I found a copy of "Cherry Berry Wine" 
and it's really a good song!  But as Charlie said on the interview, it 
peaked at #99 on the Hot 100 and went downhill from there ;-)

Now then, how about Area Code 615?    That's some might fine pickin' and 
grinnin'.

73, Bob W9RAN



Charles Ray McCoy, 28 March 1941, Oak Hill, West Virginia, USA. When 
McCoy was eight years old, he ordered a harmonica for 50 cents and a 
box-top, but he was more interested in the guitar. He played in rock 'n' 
roll bands in Miami, where Mel Tillis heard him and suggested that he 
visit Nashville to work as a singer. Although his singing career did not 
take off, he played drums for US hit makers Johnny Ferguson and 
Stonewall Jackson. In 1961, McCoy recorded as a singer for US Cadence 
Records and entered the charts with "Cherry Berry Wine". He then formed 
a rock 'n' roll band, Charlie McCoy And The Escorts, which played in 
Nashville clubs for several years. During this period, McCoy played 
harmonica on Ann-Margret's "I Just Don't Understand" and Roy Orbison's 
"Candy Man", and the success of the two records led to further offers of 
session work. McCoy became the top harmonica player in Nashville, 
playing up to 400 sessions a year, and was a regular on Elvis Presley 
recordings. He worked with Bob Dylan at the infamous Blonde On Blonde 
sessions, playing harmonica on "Obviously Five Believers", trumpet on 
"Rainy Day Women Nos 12 & 35', and bass on several other tracks. The 
success of Dylan and other rock musicians in Nashville prompted McCoy 
and other session men to form the critically acclaimed Area Code 615. 
McCoy later joined Area Code 615"s successor Barefoot Jerry and was 
featured on the band's 1974 US country hit, "Boogie Woogie".

McCoy revived his recording career in the late 60s and had a US chart 
hit in 1972 with a revival of "Today I Started Loving You Again", but, 
considering his love of blues harmonica player Little Walter, his 
records are comparatively unadventurous and middle-of-the-road. 
Nevertheless, he has often reached the US country charts with 
instrumental interpretations of over-worn country songs, and has won a 
Grammy Award and several country music accolades. After his contract 
with Monument Records ended in 1982, McCoy recorded freely for a number 
of different labels, releasing a number of European only albums. He 
later limited his session appearances, largely because of his work as 
musical director of the television series Hee-Haw, an association that 
lasted 19 years. However, he did appear with other Nashville session men 
on US indie band Ween's oddball 1996 recording, 12 Golden Country 
Greats. Two years later he was elected to the German-American Country 
Music Federation Hall Of Fame.

http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Charlie-McCoy.html

Source: /The Encyclopedia of Popular Music/ by Colin Larkin. Licensed 
from Muze.