2015 BRC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

BUDDY BUIE

Legendary songwriter and record producer, BUDDY BUIE, grew up in Dothan Alabama. His ticket to the big time was pop Icon Roy Orbison, who took him and a local band called the Webs (featuring Bobby Goldsboro) on tour. Orbison met them at a concert in Dothan, promoted by then nineteen-year-old Buie, and was so impressed he took them on the road and hired Buddy to be his road manager. This was a dream come true, but after traveling the world, Buddy decided he wanted to devote more of his time to his first love, writing songs.

Some of his first demos were recorded in Muscle Shoals with David Briggs, Norbert Putnam and Jerry Carrigan.

He and his friend, Paul Cochran, formed Buie-Cochran management which quickly became a Force in Southern Music.

In 1965, Buddy began his relationship with Bill Lowery. Bill introduced Buddy to a young group called the Classics IV, and the rest is history. The hits “Spooky”, “Stormy”, “Traces”, and “Everyday With You Girl” remain today to remind us of this successful relationship.

In the period that followed, Buddy established himself as one of the most sought-after writers and producers in the pop field, with smash hits by Billy Joe Royal and B.J. Thomas. His association with Bill Lowery, Paul Cochran and J.R. Cobb continued to flourish with the building of the legendary Studio One recording facility in Doraville. ARS, Leonard Skynyrd, & 38 Special were among the groups who made history there.

In 1970, Buddy formed the Atlanta Rhythm Section The members he selected were the “cream of the crop” of Atlanta session musicians. Under his guidance as producer, principle writer, and co-manager with Arnie Geller, ARS gained world acclaim as the quintessential “southern rock band”. This success story began in the small suburb of Doraville, Georgia and eventually reached to all parts of the globe with even a command performance at the White House along the way.

Buddy’s first love has always been and will continue to be song writing, and he considers one of his greatest talents as a writer to be the ability to select great co-writers. The success of Buie/Cobb, Buie/Nix/Daughtry, and Buie/Hammond are prime examples of this. Most of their work was done in Eufaula, Alabama on Thomas Mill Creek where Buddy had a small fishing trailer that doubled as a writing paradise. In September 1984, Buddy had the honor of being inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Receiving the “Georgy” was truly one of the highlights of his career.

Buie and his co-writers are well represented in the world of contemporary country music with recordings by Travis Tritt and Wynonna Judd. Buie/Cobb saw “Rock Bottom” by Wynonna climb to the top of the charts in April 1994. 1994 also saw Gloria Estefan record the classic Buie/Cobb tune “Traces”. Travis Tritt’s “Back Up Against The Wall” from the album “The Restless Kind” (8/27/96 release date) is the second Buie/Cobb song he recorded. The first was “Homesick” on his “It’s All About To Change.” David Sanborn’s version of “Spooky” (1996) zoomed to Number One on the jazz charts. Buddy and J.R. Cobb recently teamed up with the great Tom Douglas and penned “Mr. Midnight” for Garth Brooks on his “Scarecrow” album. Garth also included the touching song in his 2005 boxed set.

Back In 1983 Ronnie Hammond and Buddy watched the funeral procession carrying the body of Coach Paul Bear Bryant from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham. They were so moved by the throngs mourning their hero that they wrote THE DAY BEAR BRYANT DIED. Twenty- three years later the song was released and is becoming a theme for the Bama nation.

Recently J.R. Cobb and Buddy teamed up with R & B phenom John Legend to write SAVE ROOM. The song, inspired by STORMY, is a big hit. Buddy was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in March 2010. This is a special honor for him as he is from the great state of Alabama.

In 2003, Buddy and his wife of 38 years (his childhood sweetheart from Dothan, Gloria Seay), left Atlanta and retired to their dream home on Thomas Mill Creek in Eufaula Alabama. They and their dog, Hampton, are enjoying life on the lake and being back home in Alabama.

Hit Songs As Producer And Co-writer

The songs with * by them are Top Twenty and BMI Award Winning Songs

CHAMPAGNE JAM, SILVER EAGLE, *DO IT OR DIE, *SPOOKY- 4 Million-Performance Award, *STORMY-3 Million-Performance Award, *TRACES- 6 Million Performance Award, 34th Most Performed Song in BMI History, *SO INTO YOU-1 Million Performance Award, ANGEL, DORAVILLE, WHAT AM I CRYING FOR, *EVERYDAY WITH YOU GIRL-1 MILLION PERFORMANCE, *MIGHTY CLOUDS OF JOY, ANOTHER MAN’S WOMAN, IT’S TIME FOR LOVE, *MOST OF ALL, WHERE DID ALL THE GOOD TIMES GO, *NOT GONNA LET IT BOTHER ME TONIGHT, MIND BENDER, *IMAGINARY LOVER-1 Million Performance Award, GEORGIA RHYTHM, NEON NITES, JUKIN, FREE SPIRIT, *ALIEN. CHANGE OF HEART, *I TAKE IT BACK (Produced by Chips Moman), SAVE THE SUNLIGHT, SOMETHING I’LL REMEMBER, Mr. MIDNIGHT, *ROCK BOTTOM (Produced by Tony Brown), THE DAY BEAR BRYANT DIED, SAVE ROOM by John Legend

Artists produced by Buddy Buie

Atlanta Rhythm Section, Dennis Yost And The Classics IV, Stillwater, B.J. Thomas, Billy Joe Royal, Joe South, Roy Orbison, and Ronnie Hammond.

SANDY POSEY

Sandy Posey was born in Jasper, Alabama, the youngest of five children. All of her siblings were singers and musicians.

In this tiny southern town where she played as a child, she dreamed of faraway places she might someday go and sing. Sandy’s first public singing experience was at the tender age of five. She sang with her sister at her grandpa Posey’s funeral.

As fate would have it, Sandy moved to Memphis, Tennessee where some of the most famous singers and musicians of all times were just beginning to make their mark on the world, beginning with the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley.

During her teen years, Sandy’s voice influenced the music industry significantly. She was asked to sing background on recording sessions all over Memphis, including Sam Phillips’ Sun Records.

Sandy’s unique voice was also recognized by RCA. Her career as a background vocalist soared when she backed Elvis Presley on such hits as “Kentucky Rain”, “In the Ghetto” and “The Wonder of You”, just to name a few.

In addition to the Elvis hits, Sandy recorded as a background vocalist for Percy Sledge on his timeless hit

“When a Man Loves a Woman”. When Sandy’s career led her to move to Nashville, she backed many legendary country superstars ranging from Waylon Jennings to George Jones.

Although Sandy had a thriving career in the recording studio backing all these great artists, her big dream was to become a recording artist herself. As Sandy searched for just the right song, Gary Walker, a Nashville publisher, heard Sandy’s magnetic voice. During this time, Gary had discovered an unknown writer by the name of Martha Sharp. She had just penned what was to become Sandy’s long awaited, first number one hit. The song was entitled “Born a Woman”. Gary Walker heard in Sandy Posey’s voice the same sincere feeling and intensity that Martha Sharp expressed through her words and music. The hearts of two young women desperately longing for love to find them, had instead through each other, found the means in which to express everything they were feeling.

The song, “Born a Woman”, was recorded in Memphis and produced by Chips Moman. Chips Moman went on to become one of the most successful producers in the music business. In only a short time, the song rose up the charts to become

Sandy’s first number one Gold Record. Sandy, Martha and Chips teamed up again with another, “Single Girl”, which brought Sandy the international success that is still very much alive today. Sandy went on to record a long list of hits for Columbia and Warner Brothers Records.

Sandy Posey was nominated for two Grammys by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, in two different categories, along with Paul McCartney and Barbara Streisand. Sandy’s songs continue to sell in countries around the world, giving her the longevity that seems to elude so many artists. She is one of the most unforgettable singers of all time and is still performing worldwide. Sandy Posey is a symbol reminding women everywhere of the joys and sorrows of being “Born a Woman” and of their years of being a “Single Girl”.

Recent Facts Sheet: Sandy Posey’s hit single “Born a Woman” is featured in the motion picture “Man Without a Face”, starring Mel Gibson. Sandy’s song “Born a Woman” is also featured daily on the international Rush Limbaugh Radio Show. Mr. Limbaugh uses Sandy’s hit as an update report theme song. CBS recently featured Sandy’s recording of “Let It Be Me” in their made for television movie entitled, “Bonds of Love”. Sandy Posey is currently touring with the Elvis Wade Show and The Jordanaires. Besides the U.S.A., they have performed for hundreds of thousands across Canada and Mexico. In Addition, they are planning a tour for Europe and Asia. Sandy recently performed in Seoul, Korea along with Skeeter Davis. Through the years, Sandy’s career has taken her across four continents and she says, “Expect to travel with others if it’s the Lord’s will. I want to travel everywhere my songs are popular and say “thank you”.

SONNY JAMES

Born in Hackleburg Alabama in 1929, Sonny James would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

Born with a natural talent for playing stringed instruments, it would be at the age of four – when he was placed at the centerpiece of his family’s country show, where he first began to realize his potential to entertain others. Because he was just a kid he was called “Sonny Boy” but by 1952 when he signed with Capitol Records this six foot three inch talent was rebilled as The Southern Gentleman, a tag that portrayed his polite ways.

In 1956 as rock & roll was just beginning, Sonny’s multi-million selling single ‘Young Love’ exploded on the scene and became a #1 country and pop hit – the first such cross-over of it’s kind by a country artist. Others would soon follow as major record labels recognized the potential of duplicating the success of ‘Young Love’ signing artists such as Elvis, The Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison.

By 1959, a chance meeting at Capital Studios in Hollywood with Nat King Cole, a favorite of Sonny and his father, would set in motion a new focus on Sonny’s musical approach into a smoother pop-sounding style of country. Too often overlooked, and perhaps due to the extraordinary success he found with ‘Young Love’, his greatest accomplishments were yet to come as he would increasingly expand the popularity of country music, soon becoming an in demand phenomena rising to chart heights never accomplished before or since.

Beginning in 1964 with his musical style refined and his “sound” produced to be identifiable, Sonny began what would become his legendary streak of 16 consecutive #1 releases – an uncontested record which no other recording artist has ever surpassed in any genre. A decade later, Sonny James had amassed not only 16 #1’s in a row, but a surreal 26 #1’s in total and 72 chart hits. During the midst of the 1960’s Civil Rights era, and in the middle of his highly successful run, 5 of his most popular #1 recordings had previously been moderately successful releases for soulful R&B artists such as Ivory Joe Hunter, Brook Benton & Clyde Otis.

Sonny’s broad appeal not only as a performer, but an entertainer, brought him into larger and larger markets and venues as he created new paths for others to follow which had not previously been welcoming to country artists in general, including his numerous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Always an integral part of his sound and style, his mastery of the guitar as a musician added a depth to his recordings and stage appeal which translated perfectly to television. His full vocal tones backed by his “Southern Gentlemen” created a sound that was awarded time after time with great success.

The first country recording artist with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his hits such as ‘The Minute You’re Gone’, ‘You’re The Only World I Know’, ‘It’s Just A Matter Of Time’, ‘Empty Arms’ and so many more make it easy to realize that at the same time when the world was listening to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones on rock radio, they were listening and loving Sonny James on country radio.

Within pop-culture, the movie Apollo 13 may have depicted the legendary music of Hank Williams on a moon flight, but it was actually a musical program requested by NASA to be recorded personally by Sonny James which became the first country artist to travel into space on-board Apollo 14 which launched on January 31st, 1971. Immediately following his string of #1’s, Sonny then went on to produce the first 3 albums for Marie Osmond, which saw the first single, ‘Paper Roses’, surpass sales of 5 million worldwide and Marie nominated for a Grammy Award.

Throughout his life Sonny has stood always at the ready to share a funny story. Accompanied by his boyish smile, this man of deep faith never failed to cultivate his unique gift of making every friend feel as if they were his greatest friend every step of the way.

UPCOMING RECORD SHOWS

August 15-16. Birmingham Record Collectors. Gardendale Civic Center – 857 Main Street Gardendale, AL 35071. $3 admission. 100+ tables. Saturday – 9AM-5PM. Sunday 10AM-4PM. HOF induction Saturday night 6:00. Same venue. Performing will be Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Sandy Posey, Elvis Wade, and Travis Wammack and his Snakeman Band featuring Donnie Fritts.  $20.  Order tickets ASAP.  A sellout is expected.

HEY! HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE?

Linda Brannon

‘Don’t Cross Over’

See ya,

Charlie