James Francis Vienneau (September 18, 1926 – November 9, 2023) was an American record producer. He is best known for producing "

It's Only Make Believe "It's Only Make Believe" is a song written by drummer Jack Nance and Mississippi-born singer Conway Twitty, while they were touring across Ontario, Canada, in 1958. Twitty was a relatively unknown rock n' roll singer at the time, and this song w ...

" by

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

Childhood

Vienneau was born on September 18, 1926, to Marian Catherine "Mary" (née Boyne) (1891–1989) and Alfred Edmond Vienneau (1886–1966), in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

. He had two older siblings, Alfred Edmond (1918–1920) and Edmond Boyne "Ed" (1923–1995) Vienneau. Alfred Vienneau was an electrical salesman who was originally from

New Brunswick, Canada New Brunswick is a province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to the west. It is part of Eastern Cana ...

, and Mary Boyne Vienneau was a housewife originally from

Philmont, New York Philmont is a village in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,377 at the 2020 census. The village is located in the northeastern part of the town of Claverack on New York State Route 217. History The community was onc ...

. When Jim was a toddler, the family moved to North Hempstead and later to

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. His maternal uncle was fellow music producer and

mentor Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

Frank Walker, the husband of Marian Vienneau's sister Laura Walker.

Early career and success with Conway Twitty

As a young man, he was mentored in producing

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

by his uncle Frank Walker, a producer of hit

singers Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

and

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

, In 1956, he was signed as a producer by the president of

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

, Arnold Maxin, and began working out of the company's offices on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, commuting to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

at times for recording sessions. He signed his most famous client

two years later and produced the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

number-one hit, "

" in 1958. Originally, he decided not to sign Twitty, but was overruled by Arnold Maxin. He ended up being the producer for many of Twitty's songs from 1958 to 1963.

Other clients

Over the next 30 years or so, Vienneau continued to produce songs for many other successful artists including

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style has been described as a blend of rock, blues, and country. He is the son of count ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

Mark Dinning Max Edward "Mark" Dinning (August 17, 1933 – March 22, 1986) was an American pop music singer. In February 1960, the song " Teen Angel", written by his sister Jean (Eugenia) and her husband Red Surrey, reached number one on the ''Billboard'' ...

Bob Gallion Bob Gallion (April 22, 1924, in Ashland, Kentucky – August 20, 1999) was an American country music singer. Between 1958 and 1973, he recorded for various country labels, charting nine times on the Hot Country Songs charts. His biggest hit ...

Mel Tillis Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...

Marvin Rainwater Marvin Karlton Rainwater (July 2, 1925 – September 17, 2013) was an American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter who had several hits during the late 1950s, including the self-penned " Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" and " Whole Lotta Woman, ...

, and Billy ThunderKloud & the Chieftones. His most successful hit for Connie Francis was the song "

Vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or school or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for sp ...

", which peaked at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1962. In 1960, he produced the latter of his two

number-one singles, "Teen Angel" for Mark Dinning. The song "Whole Lotta Woman" by Marvin Rainwater ended up being a hit in the United Kingdom, and was a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart. He continued to produce music until his retirement in 1989.

Personal life and death

Vienneau lived in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. He and his wife Joan Preston Vienneau were married for over 60 years. Vienneau died at his Nashville home on November 9, 2023, at the age of 97.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vienneau, Jim 1926 births 2023 deaths Record producers from New York (state) People from Albany, New York