"Crying Time" is a song from 1964 written and originally recorded by the American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the frontman for The Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the ''Billboard'' country music chart. He pioneered what came ...

. It gained greater success in the version recorded by American singer, songwriter, and pianist

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

, which won two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s in 1967. Numerous other cover versions have been performed and recorded over the intervening years.

History

Owens recorded the original version of his song and released it as the B side to the 45 single " I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" in 1964, Capitol 5336, but it failed to reach the music charts. A cover version of "Crying Time" was then recorded by R&B singer

, and his version proved to be a hit. Featuring backing vocals by the

Jack Halloran Jack Halloran (January 10, 1916January 24, 1997) was an American composer and choral director. Biography Early life John Thomas "Jack" Halloran was born in Rock Rapids, Iowa on January 10, 1916. Halloran earned degrees in music from Mornin ...

Singers and

The Raelettes The Raelettes (or occasionally The Raelets or The Raeletts) were an American girl group formed in 1958 to provide backing vocals for Ray Charles. They were reformed from the group The Cookies. Between 1966 and 1973, the Raelettes recorded on ...

, the song reached number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in February 1966. Charles' version of the song also peaked at number five on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and spent three weeks at number one on the

easy listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...

.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications) In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 50 on the UK Singles Chart. In addition, Charles' version of "Crying Time" won two

s in 1967, in the categories Best R&B Recording and Best R&B Solo Performance.

Style

Charles intended his version of Owens' song to be a tribute to the country music style he appreciated (Charles had successfully covered other country music songs in the past, such as "

I Can't Stop Loving You "I Can't Stop Loving You" is a popular song written and composed by the country musician Don Gibson from his 1958 album ''Oh Lonesome Me'', who first recorded it on December 3, 1957, for RCA Victor Records. It was released in 1958 as the B-side ...

"). He was quoted as saying that he did not record "Crying Time", and other country songs written by Owens, "out of disrespect for Buck. I'm crazy about Buck. But I heard something that fit my style. The key was keeping my style while watching my style work in different ways."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Notable cover versions

Lorrie Morgan Loretta Lynn Morgan (born June 27, 1959) is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. ...

recorded a cover of the song for the soundtrack to the 1993 film ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

''. Her version peaked at number 59 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart. *

Bill Medley William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer best known as one-half of the Righteous Brothers. He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Medley produced a n ...

recorded a cover of the song along with Michael McDonald for his 2025 album ''Straight From the Heart''. * 2021 - John Greene, ''Crying Time Again''

References

{{authority control 1964 songs 1965 singles Torch songs Buck Owens songs Ray Charles songs Barbra Streisand songs Lorrie Morgan songs Songs written by Buck Owens ABC Records singles