Russ Hamilton (singer)
{{Short description|English singer and songwriter (1932–2008)}}
{{distinguish||text=Russell Hamilton (singer-songwriter), an American singer-songwriter known by the stage name "Russell"}}
{{Other people|Russ Hamilton}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1932|1|19}}
| birth_place = Liverpool, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2008|10|11|1932|1|19}}
| death_place = Flintshire, Wales
| genre = Pop
| occupation = Singer
| instrument = Vocals, guitar
}}
Russ Hamilton (born Ronald Hulme; 19 January 1932 – 11 October 2008){{cite web|author=Doc Rock |url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2008b.html |title=2008 July to December |publisher=The Dead Rock Stars Club |access-date=17 August 2015}} 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.
Biography
= Early life =
Russ Hamilton was born as Ronald Hulme in Everton, Liverpool, Lancashire in 1932. Prior to his fame, he worked as a cost clerk.
= 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.{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Virgin Books|date=2002|edition=Third|isbn=1-85227-937-0|pages=183/4}}
A former Redcoat, Hamilton's first hit in the United Kingdom was "We Will Make Love", which he recorded in 1957 for Oriole Records.{{cite book
| first= John
| last= Tobler
| year= 1992
| title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Reed International Books Ltd
| location= London
| page= 42
| id= CN 5585}} 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. 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,{{cite book |last1=Betts |first1=Graham |title=Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004 |date=2004 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=London |isbn=0007179316 |page=339}} and "Rainbow" reached No. 4 on Billboard'
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/91 91]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/91
}} The record sold over one million copies, and reached gold disc status. We Will Make Love was written about a girl from Blackpool named Patricia Hitchin, who Hamilton had fallen in love with.
Hamilton followed this success later that same year with another self-penned item, "Wedding Ring", which reached the Top 20 in the UK.
In 1960, he was invited to Nashville, Tennessee and signed up with MGM Records. 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. 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. 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/russ-hamilton-liverpudlian-singersongwriter-who-had-a-hit-in-america-years-before-the-beatles-964176.html |title=Russ Hamilton: Liverpudlian singer-songwriter who had a hit in America years before the Beatles – Obituaries – News |newspaper=The Independent|date=17 October 2008 |access-date=17 August 2015}}
Discography
= Albums =
| class="wikitable"
!Title !Year !Note |
| Rainbows
|1958 |
= Singles =
| class="wikitable"
!A-Side !B-Side !Year !Note |
| I Don't Know Why
|My Mother's Eyes |1957 |
| 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 =
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.45-rpm.org.uk/dirr/russh.htm Biography at 45-rpm.org.uk]
- [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=208136691 Russ Hamilton Biography, photos, news and hear his music]
- [http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=34489 Video Newsreel of Russ Hamilton in 1957]
- [https://www.discogs.com/artist/400108-Russ-Hamilton Russ Hamilton at Discogs]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Russ}}
Category:English male singer-songwriters
Category:English singer-songwriters
Category:Singers from Liverpool
Category:Oriole Records (UK) artists
Category:20th-century English singers