Barbara Fairchild (born November 12, 1950) is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

singer, who is best known for her hit 1973 country song " The Teddy Bear Song" and other country hits.

Biography

Early life and beginnings in Nashville

She was born in Knobel, Arkansas, United States. Fairchild started her career at a young age singing country music. She cut her first single at 15 years old. In 1963, she moved to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, and by 1965, she was a regular on a local TV show and recorded for a local label, Norman Records, but none of her singles released were much more than regional hits. In 1968, after high school graduation, she decided to follow her dream and moved to Nashville. She briefly signed with

Kapp Records Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...

with no success. She also recorded briefly for

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

. After this, she met producer

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gl ...

, who had discovered

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

. He listened to Fairchild's songs and decided that she was ready for a major record deal, and he signed her with Columbia Records in 1969. Her first single in 1969, "Love Is A Gentle Thing", was a minor hit as was her next single, "A Woman's Hand". In 1970, she scored her first Top 40 hit with "A Girl Who'll Satisfy Her Man". Between 1970 and 1972, Fairchild scored four more Top 40 hits, the biggest of these being "Love's Old Song" and "Thanks For The Mem'ries".

The success of "Teddy Bear Song"

1973 would turn out to be the breakthrough year for Fairchild as she released the biggest hit of her career with "Teddy Bear Song". It became a number 1 hit on the country charts, and reached the pop charts as well, peaking at No. 32. It was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

that year. "Teddy Bear Song" spent two weeks at the No. 1 spot. She followed up "Teddy Bear Song" that year with another hit, "Kid Stuff," which reached number 2 on the country chart, and made the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 95. In 1974, she scored another Top 10 with the song "Baby Doll." Between 1974 and 1977, she had several other successes, including "Standing In Your Line," "Little Girl Feelin'," "

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

," "Cheatin' Is," and "Let Me Love You Once Before You Go."

Later career and life

She turned her attention to Gospel music, where she has recorded both solo and with

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity h ...

and Sharon White on the album, '' Love Never Fails''. She now lives in

Branson Branson may refer to: Places ;Canada * Branson, Toronto ;United States * Branson, Missouri, a popular tourist destination in the Ozark Mountains * Branson, Colorado * Branson City, California * The Branson School, in Ross, California * Warrenpoi ...

, Missouri, with her husband Roy Morris, who is also a singer-songwriter.

Discography

Awards and honors

*Inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2009. *Nominated for Christian Country Female Vocalist of the Year for a Visionary Award by the Christian Music Hall of Fame.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairchild, Barbara 1950 births Living people American country singer-songwriters American women country singers People from Clay County, Arkansas People from Branson, Missouri American gospel singers Singer-songwriters from Missouri Singer-songwriters from Arkansas Country musicians from Missouri Country musicians from Arkansas 21st-century American women