From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Fri Jul 19, 2002  1:13 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : George Hamilton IV

GEORGE HAMILTON IV

Born 19 July 1937, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Country-folk-pop singer / guitarist.
George Hamilton IV is one of the few American country stars to have
become a household name in Britain, although he is sometimes confused
with the actor George Hamilton.
In 1956, while at the University of North Carolina, Hamilton persuaded a
local label, Colonial, to record him. He recorded one of the first teen ballads,

"A Rose And A Baby Ruth", written by his friend John D. Loudermilk. Its
regional success prompted ABC-Paramount to issue it countrywide.
Hamilton found himself at # 6 in the nation's pop chart and the single
became a million-seller. The B-side, "If You Don't Know", heralded the
subsequent direction of his music and became a US country hit in its own
right in 1962, when Hamilton re-recorded it for RCA. It is also one of the
few songs that Hamilton has written himself. The title, "A Rose And A Baby
Ruth", was too obscure for UK record-buyers - a Baby Ruth was a chocolate
bar - but Hamilton did make the UK Top 30 with his second American Top 10
entry, "Why Don't They Understand?". The song, co-written by Joe Henderson,
was one of the first hits about the 50s generation gap. Hamilton's other US hits

included "Only One Love", "Now And For Always" and the curio "The Teen
Commandments Of Love" with Paul Anka and Johnny Nash. He had another UK
hit (# 23) with "I Know Where I'm Going". Hamilton toured on rock'n'roll package

shows with Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent, and appeared on
Broadway with Louis Armstrong. His leanings towards country music were
satisfied when ABC-Paramount let him record a tribute album to Hank Williams.

In 1958 Hamilton married his childhood sweetheart, Adelaide ("Tinky")
Peyton, and moved to Nashville where they raised a family. Hamilton started
recording for RCA Records in 1961 and returned to the US Top 20 with John D.
Loudermilk's adaptation of a western song, "Abilene", in 1963 (# 1 country).
His other country hits include "Break My Mind", "Fort Worth, Dallas Or Houston"
and "She's A Little Bit Country". Hamilton pioneered the songs of Gordon
Lightfoot ("Steel Rail Blues", "Early Morning Rain"), which, in turn, led to
a love affair with Canadian music. He recorded Joni Mitchell's "Urge For
Going" (the first artist to release one of her songs), Leonard Cohen's
"Suzanne" and Ian Tyson's "Summer Wages", along with several albums of
which Canadian Pacific is the best known. Hamilton appeared at the first
Wembley country music festival and he has been a regular visitor to the UK ever
since. Hamilton acknowledges that he has changed the UK public's perception
of country music: "When I first came here, people had the idea that country
music was all hicks and hillbillies, cowboys and indians. I wanted to show
it was an art form, a quality music. I wore a three-piece suit which was a
bit formal for the music I was playing but I wouldn't have been comfortable
in jeans and a stetson." Hamilton has championed British country music by
recording home-grown songs and also by recording with the Hillsiders. In
1979, Hamilton became the first country singer to play a summer season at
a seaside resort (Blackpool). Although Hamilton moved to North Carolina in
1972, he sees little of his home. He tours so often that Bob Powell, a former
editor of the UK magazine Country Music People, named him the International
Ambassador of Country Music.

In 1974 Hamilton became the first country artist to give concerts in the
Soviet Union and he lectured at Moscow University. He has appeared at
festivals in Czechoslovakia and recorded there. His pioneering work was
recognized by Billboard magazine who gave him their Trendsetter award in
1975. Hamilton's best recordings were made in the late 70s when he made
three albums with producer Allen Reynolds, Fine Lace And Homespun Cloth,
Feel Like A Million and Forever Young. He nearly reached the UK charts with
a revival of "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" from the first album.
Increasingly in recent years, Hamilton has given Christian concerts. He has
been part of Billy Graham's crusades and he regularly tours British churches.
Hamilton sometimes works with his son, George Hamilton V, who had a US
country hit with "She Says" and also tours the UK country clubs in his own
right. Like his father, he will sign autographs until the last person has left.

Bear Family has released a 6 CD-set , "To You And Yours From Me And Mine"
(BCD 15773), covering his early work up until 1965.