Razzy Bailey
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Razzy Bailey | |
|---|---|
 Bailey at CMA Music Festival in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Rasie Michael Bailey[1] February 14, 1939[2] Five Points, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | August 4, 2021 (aged 82) |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter, and producer |
| Years active | 1966–2021 |
| Labels | Atlantic MGM Erastus RCA MCA SOA Spectra Records |
Spouse | Faye Bright-Bailey 1990 |
| Website | https://therazzybailey.com/ |
Rasie Michael Bailey (February 14, 1939 – August 4, 2021), better known as Razzy Bailey, was an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. In the early 1980s, he scored 5 No. 1s on the Billboard country music charts.
Early life
[edit]Bailey was born in Five Points, Alabama, United States,[2] and raised on a farm in La Fayette, Alabama. Bailey got his first experience of musical performance as a member of his high school's Future Farmers of America string band. After graduation, he married and had children immediately and had little time to pursue his career,[3] but he spent many years playing occasional gigs at honkytonks in Georgia and Alabama and developing his songwriting.
Early releases
[edit]In 1966, Bailey took his material to Bill Lowery at Atlantic Records, who arranged for him to record "9,999,999 Tears" backed by a studio band featuring Billy Joe Royal, Joe South, and Freddy Weller.[2] The song failed to hit the charts at that time, but Bailey was encouraged, forming the pop trio Daily Bread which released a pair of albums on small labels.[3] Another group, The Aquarians, followed in 1972; in 1974, Bailey recorded the album I Hate Hate simply as "Razzy." It sold over half a million copies before being picked up by MGM Records.
Career at RCA
[edit]In 1976, Dickey Lee recorded "9,999,999 Tears", and it became a country and pop hit in 1976,[2] and in 1977, Lee repeated this with another Bailey tune, "Peanut Butter," which also went into the charts.[3] As his songwriting talents became known, Bailey signed with RCA Records and, in 1978, began releasing singles of his own songs.[3] His first hit as a singer-songwriter, "What Time Do You Have To Be Back to Heaven?",[2] was on the charts for over four months. Bailey charted a total of seven No. 1 singles on Billboard's "Country" charts and another eight Top 10 in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His sound combines R&B influences with country; his version of Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" was a country hit.[2] His last country No. 1 hit was with "She Left Love All Over Me" in 1982.[2]
Bailey had three double sided number 1's in succession on the Country chart,[2] a feat never accomplished by any other artist.
He also operated Razzy's Hit House, his recording studio where he helped other artists with their projects.
Personal life
[edit]Politically, Bailey was a member of the Republican Party. Bailey died in August 2021, at the age of 82.[4]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1974 | I Hate Hate | MGM | ||
| 1979 | If Love Had a Face | 33 | RCA | |
| 1980 | Razzy | 12 | ||
| 1981 | Makin' Friends | 8 | 183 | |
| 1982 | Feelin' Right | 10 | 176 | |
| A Little More Razz | 59 | |||
| 1983 | Greatest Hits | 33 | ||
| 1984 | The Midnight Hour | 36 | ||
| 1985 | Cut from a Different Stone | 38 | MCA | |
| 1986 | Arrival | |||
| 2009 | Damned Good Time | SOA | ||
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1966 | "9,999,999 Tears" | — | — | Single only |
| 1974 | "I Hate Hate" (as Razzy)A | — | — | I Hate Hate |
| 1976 | "Keepin' Rosie Proud of Me" | 99 | — | Single only |
| 1978 | "What Time Do You Have to Be Back to Heaven" | 9 | 20 | If Love Had a Face |
| "Tonight She's Gonna Love Me (Like There Was No Tomorrow)" | 6 | 5 | ||
| 1979 | "If Love Had a Face" | 6 | 33 | |
| "I Ain't Got No Business Doin' Business Today" | 10 | 18 | ||
| "I Can't Get Enough of You" | 5 | — | Razzy | |
| 1980 | "Too Old to Play Cowboy" | 13 | — | |
| "Loving Up a Storm" | 1 | 10 | ||
| "I Keep Coming Back" / "True Life Country Music" | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1981 | "Friends" / "Anywhere There's a Jukebox" | 1 | 9 | Makin' Friends |
| "Midnight Hauler" | 1 | 1 | ||
| "Scratch My Back (And Whisper in My Ear)"B | 8 | — | ||
| "She Left Love All Over Me" | 1 | 2 | Feelin' Right | |
| 1982 | "Everytime You Cross My Mind (You Break My Heart)" | 10 | 9 | |
| "Love's Gonna Fall Here Tonight" | 8 | 11 | A Little More Razz | |
| "Poor Boy" | 30 | — | ||
| 1983 | "After the Great Depression" | 19 | 23 | Greatest Hits |
| "This Is Just the First Day" | 62 | 48 | ||
| 1984 | "In the Midnight Hour" | 14 | 32 | The Midnight Hour |
| "Knock on Wood" | 29 | — | Cut from a Different Stone | |
| "Touchy Situation" | 43 | — | ||
| 1985 | "Modern Day Marriages" | 51 | — | |
| "Fightin' Fire with Fire" | 78 | — | Arrival | |
| "Old Blue Yodeler" | 48 | — | ||
| 1986 | "Rockin' in the Parkin' Lot" | 63 | 42 | |
| 1987 | "If Love Ever Made a Fool" | 69 | — | Singles only |
| 1988 | "Unattended Fire" | 58 | — | |
| "Starting All Over Again" | 73 | — | ||
| 1989 | "But You Will" | 65 | — | |
| 1991 | "Fragile (Handle with Care)" | — | 36 | |
- A"I Hate Hate" peaked at No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 50 on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada.
- BB-side to "Midnight Hauler."
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Video |
|---|---|
| 1980 | "Friends" |
| 1981 | "Anywhere There's a Jukebox" |
| "Midnight Hauler" | |
| "I've Had My Limit (Of Two-Timing Women)" | |
| 1982 | "Night Life" |
| 1985 | "Old Blue Yodeler" |
References
[edit]- ^ "Fact Sheet". July 15, 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 34. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
- ^ a b c d "Razzy Bailey | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ '80s Hitmaker Razzy Bailey Dies at Age 82, Wideopencountry.com
External links
[edit]- Razzy Bailey's home website
- Razzy Bailey discography at Discogs
- Razzy Bailey at IMDb
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