Jimmy Sweeney (March 15, 1922 – October 6, 1992) was a singer, songwriter, and self-taught guitarist. He was a member of the Nashville African-American music scene, and a veteran of World War II. As a pop singer, he was known professionally as Jimmy Sweeney a.k.a. Jimmy Bell. Jimmy was born, raised, and died 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 ...

. His recordings span

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

, and

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre 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, ...

. He was an early influence on

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Jimmy and Elvis

Jimmy's main claim to fame is as an influence to the young Elvis and that he was the mystery singer on a demo disk played to Elvis by

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American disc jockey, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, R ...

. An enduring myth from the fifties is that the young unknown Elvis was daunted by the performance on record of an (unknown) singer. The story is that Elvis as an undiscovered 19-year-old was introduced to a demo record of "Without You" by

on 24 Jun 1954. (Elvis had already visited Sun before that to record two sessions for personal use, and

Marion Keisker Marion Keisker MacInnes (September 23, 1917 – December 29, 1989) was an American record producer. She was the first person to record the singing voice of cultural icon Elvis Presley. Life Keisker was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated ...

had taken note of his potential). Sam had a stack of demos that had been sent into him, one was a disk of an unknown

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

"Without You", by an unknown singer with guitar. The song began: "Always at twilight I wish on a star, I ask the lord "to keep you wherever you are..." Sam had been impressed by it, but was unable to ascertain the name of the singer; nevertheless he toyed with releasing it as a single. Marion (Sam's business associate) intervened with the idea to get Elvis to sing it as a debut record. Despite a spirited attempt at recording it, Elvis felt he could not better the performance on the demo, and went on to work on "

That's All Right "That's All Right" is a song written and originally performed by the American blues singer Arthur Crudup, and recorded in 1946. It was rereleased in early March 1949 by RCA Victor under the title "That's All Right, Mama", which was issued as R ...

", released in July 1954. The Sweeney demo remained privately in Marion's hands, its existence became an

urban myth Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...

. The singer was not identified, till heard by Christopher Kennedy in early 2017, his suspicions were confirmed by Jimmy's daughter Eugenia, among others. The demo disc label identifies it as "Without You", "Audiodisc 3324", recorded at 78 rpm. The writer of the song has never been identified. Earlier to these events in January 1954, Elvis had, in the second of two (self-paid) private sessions, cut a second acetate at

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Jo ...

of "I'll Never Stand In Your Way" and "It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You", the latter a Fred Rose,

Jimmy Wakely James Clarence Wakely (February 16, 1914 – September 23, 1982) was an American actor, songwriter, country music vocalist, and one of the last singing cowboys. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, he released records, appeared in several B-Western ...

song. That song and the Sweeney demo have no similarity. There is thus no substance to the claim that Sweeney was an influence. Later in 1960, Jimmy Sweeney made an original recording of " She Wears My Ring", a F. Bryant, B. Bryant adaptation of an old Mexican song, "La Golondrina". This particular record had been Jimmy's most successful, reaching number 5 on the Canadian

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

, and, in July 1962, number 24 on the American chart. Coincidentally, Elvis was to cover it in 1973 on the ''Good Times'' album on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

, issued in 1974. It was a long-time favourite of his, he had also (again coincidentally) made a home recording of it in November 1960 at 565 Perugia Way in Los Angeles, officially released on "Follow That Dream Records" label, ''In a Private Moment'' album.

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 ...

recorded it for

Monument Records Monument Records is an American record label co-founded in 1958 by Fred Foster. Originally founded in Washington, D.C., the label moved to Nashville in 1960, and experienced success over the next two decades with a number of artists including ...

in 1964.

Life and career

Early life

Named after his father, who was born in Nashville. The second child of thirteen. A gifted

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player as a boy, he was a self-taught guitarist. He was born, raised, and based in Nashville, Tennessee all of his life. In 1943 he was drafted as Private into the US Army, at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, and was eventually honourably discharged. He married his wife Elsie in Jan 1941, and made ends meet as a carpenter.

Solo career

He recorded under various names; Jimmy Sweeney, Jimmy Bell and Jimmy Destry. He was the lead singer of "The Five Bars", who later changed their name to "The Varieteers". On the 8 Jul 1948 the Varieteers appeared as guests on '' Appointment With Music'' (an NBC radio show originating from WSM, Nashville). The Varieteers, sang "All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart"... The host was Snooky Lanson, with Dorothy Dillard &

Beasley Smith John Beasley Smith (September 27, 1901 – May 14, 1968) was an American composer and big band musician. " That Lucky Old Sun" (1949) one of his better known works, was covered by many well-known artists. He often worked with Haven Gillespie and t ...

and his orchestra. In Oct 53, the Varieteers were at

Ciro's Ciro's (later known as Ciro's Le Disc) was a nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California owned by William Wilkerson. Opened in 1940, Ciro's became a popular nightspot for celebrities. The nightclub closed in 1960 and was reopen ...

in Hollywood. They performed in the intermissions between sets of

Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; ; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was an American musician and bandleader who was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. Originally from Girona, Spain, he spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba, before arriving i ...

and Abbe Lane. He travelled throughout the U.S. and Canada promoting his recordings gathering a legion of fans. However great success was to elude him. For a time he worked in Western Canada for C.P.Rail "She Wears My Ring" charted at No. 5 on CHUM, Toronto, in May 1961. Then, at the height of it all in 1962, aged 40, he opted out and returned home to Nashville; for a state government job. A period of inactivity followed, before he started again to write, penning songs for Columbia.

Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American country and western singer and songwriter. He was one of the most popular and successful singers of his genre for most o ...

in particular recorded his songs. Most of his recordings were with the Hickory label. Associated labels were: * Bullet Records a "country and western" label owned by Jim Bulleit and located in Nashville, from 1946. Another artist on the Bullet label was

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

. * Buckley label, Louis Buckley's tiny Buckley label, Louis operated Buckley's Records (shop) in Nashville. * Chic Records of

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,881 in 2020. The city deems itself the "City of Roses" and holds an annual Rose Festival. The city features plantations open to the public, a histor ...

. Label owned by Chic (Chick) Thompson, active 1956 to 1957. *

Hickory Records Hickory Records is an American record label founded in 1954 by Acuff-Rose Music, which operated the label up to 1979. Sony Music Publishing (then Sony/ATV) revived the label in 2007. Originally based in Nashville, and functioning as an independ ...

of 2510 Franklin Road, Nashville *

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

of Nashville * Tennessee Records of Nashville Most of Sweeney's music writing was published by

Acuff-Rose Music Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose (songwriter), Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Currently, the company's catalog is owned by Sony Music Publishing. Early hi ...

Jimmy and Marty Robbins

He contributed songs regularly for Marty Robbins. This is an incomplete list, the dates are the years the songs were issued by Marty: *Don't Go Away Senor – 1957 *No Tears, No Regrets – 1965 *"Will There Be Stars in My Crown?" (

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

, Jimmy Sweeney, Edmond Hewitt) – 1965 *My Wonderful One – 1969 *When My Turn comes around – 1969 *You Say It's Over – 1971 *You're an Angel disguised as a Girl – 1987

Death

He died in Nashville of cancer at age 69.

Legacy

An influence on Elvis Presley, he left behind many (now rare) collectible recordings which regularly surface on YouTube, under the names: Jimmy Sweeney, Jimmy Bell, Jimmy Destry, The Five Bars, and The Varieteers.

Jimmy Sweeney discography

45 RPM singles * "I'm All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart" (Val-Reese-Patrick) b/w "To Make A Long Story Shorter" (Ellis) – Bullet 1009, 1947 (recorded as the "Five Bars") * "Bars Boogie" b/w "Deep In My Heart" – Bullet 1010, 1947 (recorded as "The Five Bars") * "(It's) Needless" (Vaughan) b/w "It's Goodbye Again" – Tennessee 809, 1950 (recorded as Jim Sweeney and The Dinning Brothers) * "Boogie Woogie Jockey" (Sweeney) b/w "I Gotta Leave This Town" – Tennessee 714, May 1950 (recorded as Jimmy Sweeney; A side with

Gene Nobles Gene Nobles (August 3, 1913 – September 21, 1989) was an American radio disc jockey who attained fame on Nashville radio station WLAC from the 1940s through the 1970s by playing rhythm and blues music. Career Nobles was a former carnival bark ...

WLAC WLAC (1510 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a talk radio radio format, format. The radio studio, studios are in Nashvill ...

, Nashville) * "I'll Try To Forget I've Loved You" b/w "You Don't Move Me No More" – MGM 10888-A/B, January 1951 (recorded as The Varieteers) * "Tobacco Road" (Edward B. Marks/Arranged Anita Kerr) b/w "The Song Of The Wind" – Tennessee 715, 1952 (recorded as Jimmy Sweeney With (Choir) Accompaniment) * "Believe In Me" b/w "Desire" – Republic 7054, October 1953 (recorded as Jimmy Sweeney; Republic a subsidiary of Tennessee Records) * "Deep Blues" (Rose, McAlpin) b/w "I've Got a Womans Love" (Robbins) – Hickory 1004, February 1954 (recorded as Jimmy Sweeney and The Varieteers) * "I Pay With Every Breath" (Sweeney) b/w "If You And I Could Be Sweethearts" – Hickory 1014, August 1954 (recorded as The Varieteers, vocals by Jimmy Sweeney) * "Memories Of You" b/w "When Did You Leave Heaven?" – Republic 7101, November 1954 (recorded as The 4 Bars; Republic a subsidiary of Tennessee) * "Danny Boy" b/w "Your Gonna Be Sorry" – Hidus Records issued 2009, recorded May 1955 (recorded as Jimmy Destry) * "Call My Gal, Miss Jones" (Jimmy Sweeney) b/w "Minnie, Come Home" (Jimmy Sweeney) – Hickory 1025, May 1955 (recorded as The Varieteers) * "The Question" (Chick Thompson) b/w "These Tears" (Jimmy Sweeney) – CHIC 1002 December 1956 (recorded as Jimmy Sweeney; Chic Records of

. CHIC active 1956–1957. Label owned by Chic (Chick) Thompson.) * "Tica Boo" (Ted Edlin) b/w "Bongo Olay" (Jimmy Sweeney) – Chic Records March 1957 (recorded as Jimmy Sweeney) * "The Midnight Hour" (Jimmy Sweeney) b/w "Till The Right One Comes Along" (Jimmy Sweeney) – DATE 1001 – January 1958 (recorded as Jim Sweeney; Date, a subsidiary of Columbia. This record released in New Zealand and the UK) * "Sick, Sick, Sick" (( B. Bryant, F. Bryant) b/w "Gonna Find My Sweetheart" (Jimmy Sweeney) – COLUMBIA 4-41201, Columbia Records, June 1958 (recorded as Jim Sweeney) * "It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)" ((

/ Fred Rose) b/w "Afraid" (Fred Rose) – COLUMBIA 4-41262, November 1958 (recorded as Jim Sweeney) * "(Where You Lead Me) I'll Follow You" b/w "The Buzzard And The Owl" – COLUMBIA 4-41454, 8/59 (recorded as Jim Sweeney) * "Prayin' For Someone To Love" b/w "What'cha Gonna Do About Me" (Jimmy Sweeney) – Hickory 1115, February 1960 (recorded as Jimmy Bell) * "She Wears My Ring" ( F. Bryant, B. Bryant) b/w "Going Down To The River" (Jimmy Sweeney) – Hickory 1136, November 1960 (recorded as Jimmy Bell) * "Lunch In A Bucket" ( John D. Loudermilk) b/w "(Yes) Here I Go Again" (

Don Gibson Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson wrote such country standards as " Sweet Dreams" and " I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjo ...

) – Hickory 1146, April 1961 (recorded as Jimmy Bell) * "The Poorest Boy In Town" (Tobias, Pockriss) b/w "Honey Bee" (Jimmy Sweeney) – Hickory 1156, October 1961 (recorded as Jimmy Bell) * "Your Skies Of Blue (Will Turn Gray On You) (

Fred Neil Fred Neil (born Frederick Ralph Morlock Jr.; March 16, 1936 – July 7, 2001) was an American folk singer-songwriter active in the 1960s and early 1970s. He is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularl ...

)" b/w "Tomorrow is a Comin" (

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 h ...

) – Hickory 1168, April 1962 (recorded as Jimmy Bell) * "She Wears My Ring" (Boudleaux and Felice Bryant) b/w "What'cha Gonna Do About Me" (Jimmy Sweeney) – Buckley 1101 NBOW 2937/2938, July 1962 (issued as Jimmy Sweeney; from Jimmy Bell, Hickory masters) * "Endless" (Chic Thompson, Gwen Boyd) b/w "Beloved" (Chic Thompson, Gwen Boyd) –

Parthenon The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former Ancient Greek temple, temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the Greek gods, goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of c ...

, 1967 (Recorded 1956 at Chic Records) MP3 * "At His Best" Released 12 June 2017 by E.N. Digital. ASIN: B0721Y9ZVG. Tracks: 9. Length: 21:40. (issued as Jimmy Sweeney) Record Store Day 2020 Special Release On September 26, 2020 a special limited edition retrospective of Jimmy Sweeney's music entitled "Without You" was released on Org Music. A limited run of 1300 copies was released. The track listing included the first commercially available release of "Without You" as well as other prior unreleased recordings. The release was produced by Christopher Kennedy. Andrew Rossiter was the executive producer.

References

External links

Biography – Part one of two

Music Hall of Fame Photo Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweeney, Jimmy 1922 births 1992 deaths African-American country musicians American country singer-songwriters American male pop singers American rhythm and blues singers American soul singers Singers from Nashville, Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Deaths from cancer in Tennessee Country musicians from Tennessee African-American male songwriters 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers