From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Mon Sep 2, 2002  1:15 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Charline Arthur
 
CHARLINE ARTHUR (By Jean-Marc Pezet)

Born Charline Highsmith, 2 September, 1929, Henrietta, Texas
Died 27 November, 1987, Pocatello, Idaho

Red Hot Renegade Gal of Country Music

It is said that Elvis modeled his stage act after Charline Arthur's. The
fact is that the two toured together in early 1955 when Elvis was still a
hillbilly recording for Sun Records.
By this time, Charline has already been in the music business for almost ten
years, having started singing locally in Paris, Texas around 1945.
Second child in a conservative family of twelve (her father was a preacher),
Charline always had a leaning toward music and singing. Her first
inspiration was Ernest Tubb whom she had met in Texas. She began singing
with a medicine show in 1947, where she met future hubby Jack Arthur. By
1949, she was singing in honky tonks all over Texas and recorded her first
single for Bullet and a second for Imperial.
She was spotted by Colonel Tom Parker who was helpful in landing her an RCA
contract, signed on 1st January 1953. This led to more touring, notably with
artists from the Big "D" Jamboree and the Louisiana Hayride. Despite fine
recordings (though she was not happy with the sound from the Nashville
session players and the Chet Atkins production), no chart success came
and in 1956, her RCA contract was not renewed.
Her RCA singles included fine up-tempo hillbillies such as "Just Look Don't
Touch He's Mine", "Honey Bun", "Burn That Candle" and "Welcome To The
Club".
Charline continued recording for small labels, worked clubs and moved to
Wyoming, Idaho, and finally to the West Coast until 1978. She then retired
back to Idaho, living modestly on a disability pension (she had arthritis
problems) and died alone in 1987.
Charline Arthur was one of the first woman in country music to go on stage
wearing trousers (shocking!!!) and delivered an act with a fervour not known
to current country gals such as Kitty Wells. She also had shades of R&B in
her music, paving the way for future rockabilly women such as Janis Martin
and Wanda Jackson.

Recommended listening:
"Welcome To The Club" Bear Family BCD 16279