Eugene Church (January 22, 1938 – April 3, 1993)
was an American
R&B singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...
and songwriter.
Church was born in
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 U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
.
In the 1950s, he collaborated with
Jesse Belvin
Jesse Lorenzo Belvin (December 15, 1932 – February 6, 1960) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter popular in the 1950s. Belvin co-wrote the 1954 Penguins' doo-wop classic "Earth Angel", which sold more than 10 million copies, while hi ...
releasing
singles on
Modern Records
Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and John Lee ...
as The Cliques. Their 1956 single, "The Girl in My Dreams" b/w "I Wanna Know Why", peaked at #45 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Late in the 1950s, he released four singles of his own, as Eugene Church & the Fellows. The first two were
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...
: "
Pretty Girls Everywhere
"Pretty Girls Everywhere" is a song written by Eugene Church and Thomas Williams.
The song was first a hit for the American singer Eugene Church with his group The Fellows (including session drummer Earl Palmer) in 1958. Church's recording ...
" went No. 6 R&B, No. 36
Pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
, and "Miami" hit No. 14 R&B and No. 67 Pop. They were followed by "Good News" and "Mind Your Own Business", neither of which charted. Church later pursued a career in
gospel music in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, and returned to
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
music in the 1990s in
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...
revues.
Biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
Allmusic.com
Church died from
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
in April 1993, at age 55.
[Thedeadrockstarsclub.com](_blank)
- accessed August 2010
Discography
*
Modern Records
Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and John Lee ...
987 - '"Girl of My Dreams" / "I Wanna Know Why" 1956
*Modern Records 995 - "I'm in Love (With a Girl)" / "My Desire" 1956
*
Specialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloy ...
604 - "Open Up Your Heart" / "How Long" 1957
*Contender Records - "It's True" (with The Hollywood Saxons) 1958
*Knight Records 2012 - "Deacon Dan Tucker" / "Little Darling" 1958
*
Class Records 235 - "
Pretty Girls Everywhere
"Pretty Girls Everywhere" is a song written by Eugene Church and Thomas Williams.
The song was first a hit for the American singer Eugene Church with his group The Fellows (including session drummer Earl Palmer) in 1958. Church's recording ...
" / "For the Rest of My Life" 1958
*Class Records 254 - "Miami" / "I Ain't Goin' For That" 1959
*Class Records 261 - "Jack of All Trades" / "Without Soul" 1959
*Class Records 266 - "The Struttin' Kind" / "That's What's Happnin'" 1960
*Rendezvous 132 - "Good News" / "Polly" 1960
*
King Records 5545 - "Mind Your Own Business" / "You Got the Right Idea" 1961
*King Records 5589 - "That's All I Want" / "Geneva" 1962
*King Records 5610 - "Light of the Moon" / "I'm Your Taboo Man" 1962
*King Records 5659 - "The Right Girl, the Right Time" / "Pretty Baby Won't You Come on Home" 1962
*King Records 5715 - "Time Has Brought About a Change" / "
Sixteen Tons
"Sixteen Tons" is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Travis first recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California, on August 8, 1946. Cliffi ...
" 1963
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church, Eugene
1938 births
1993 deaths
King Records artists
Modern Records artists
Specialty Records artists
Class Records artists
Deaths from cancer in California
Musicians from St. Louis
20th-century American singers
Singers from Missouri
20th-century American male singers