Jimmy Work (March 29, 1924 – December 22, 2018) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

ian and songwriter best known for the country standard " Making Believe". Work was born in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

, but moved to Dukedom, Tennessee, with his family at age two. He picked up guitar at age seven, and learned fiddle and songwriting by his early teens. By 1945, he had begun playing professionally in Pontiac, Michigan, where many Southerners had moved to take jobs in the

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % su ...

. He appeared on local radio and published a songbook late in the decade, in addition to recording two singles for the Trophy Records label. His third single was "

Tennessee Border Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

", for Alben Records; his version was not a hit, but the following year, the song became a hit for Red Foley,

Bob Atcher James Robert Owen "Bob" Atcher (May 11, 1914 – October 31, 1993) was an American country musician. Biography Atcher was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States, and learned violin and guitar from his father, who was a champion fiddle p ...

Jimmie Skinner Jimmie Skinner (April 27, 1909 – October 28, 1979) was an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist. He also was known for a mail-order record business and retail store in Cincinnati, Ohio. Biography Sk ...

, and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Hank Williams also recorded the tune, but didn't chart with it. Work then signed with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

in 1949 and that same year appeared for the first time on the '' Grand Ole Opry'' and on

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, " Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...

's ''

Midnight Jamboree ''Midnight Jamboree'' is an album by American country singer Ernest Tubb, released in 1960 (see 1960 in music). It also includes performances by Kitty Wells, Webb Pierce, Patsy Cline, and The Wilburn Brothers. It is out of print, although it ...

''. He recorded for Decca with members of Red Foley's band, but none of his Decca recordings were hits, and the label dropped him in 1950. Subsequently, he recorded for

Bullet A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and Capitol, the last of which released him in 1953. Signing soon after with Dot Records, he finally found chart success in 1955 with the songs "Making Believe" (somewhat overshadowed by Kitty Wells cover) and "That's What Makes the Jukebox Play". He played a few concerts with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

that year. Later in the 1950s his fortunes in music declined, and he began working in

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

. He cut a few singles in 1959 for All Records and continued to write songs, working for

Acuff-Rose Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms ...

. Bear Family Records began reissuing Work's recordings in 1986. He returned to Dukedom in the 1980s to retire from music. He worked as a millwright at the Goodyear plant in Union City, Tennessee, for several years before fully retiring. Work died on December 22, 2018, at the age of 94. He lived in Dukedom with his wife.

References

External links

*Bruce Eder, Jimmy Workat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Work, Jimmy 1924 births 2018 deaths American country singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Ohio Musicians from Akron, Ohio Country musicians from Ohio