ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Roy Drusky

Roy Drusky (Jun. 22, 1930 ~ Sep. 23, 1904): A native of Atlanta,Georgia, Drusky had several Top-10 hits throughout the 1960s and 1970s and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry inNashville,Tennessee, since 1958. Known for his baritone voice, his highest-charting single was the No. 1 Yes Mr. Peters, a duet with Priscilla Mitchell.

He began singing while in the US Navy during the 1940s, and later attendedEmoryUniversityand studied veterinary medicine. During this time, he also played country music with a group he founded, the Southern Ranch Boys. Drusky also worked as a disc jockey. In 1953, he signed with Starday Records; the first single he released was called Such a Fool. That same year, he joined the Grand Ole Opry. A couple of years later, he recorded for Columbia Records, but none of his work gained much success.

Faron Young helped Drusky's career by recording two songs that he wrote, Alone With You (1958), which was Faron's biggest single and Country Girl (1959). After that,Roymoved on to Decca Records, where he broke into the national spotlight with Another (No. 2, 1960). He followed up with Anymore (No. 3, 1960) and Three Hearts In A Tangle (No. 2, 1961). The next year, he reached the Top-10 again with Second Hand Rose (No. 3, 1962).

In 1963, Drusky switched to Mercury Records and released Peel Me a Nanner (No. 8, 1963), which was written by Bill Anderson.  He cut several duets with Priscilla Mitchell. The biggest hit with her was Yes Mr. Peters (No. 1, 1965), which wasRoy's biggest chart song during his career.  He subsequently charted The World Is Round (No. 10, 1966), Where the Blue and Lonely Go (No. 10, 1969), Such a Fool (No. 7, 1969), Long Long Texas Road (No. 5, 1970) and his final Top-10, All My Hard Times (No. 9, 1970).

Drusky also appeared in films including, Forty Acre Feud (1965), Country Music On Broadway (1965), The Gold Guitar (1966), and The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966). Drusky passed away following a battle with emphysema.

About Owen Bradley: In the late 1940s Owen Bradley was conducting recording and producing sessions for Decca Records at the Castle Studio, Tulane Hotel inNashville. Some of the artist that Owen produced there included, Red Foley, Faron Young, Kitty Wells and Webb Pierce. In 1953, the Bradley's moved to a house on804 16th Avenue South, (the current location of Sony Music, Nashville), with a Quonset Hut attached to the main building. In 1955, the Quonset Hut was converted into a production studio becoming the first production and recording studio on the street, which today is known asNashville's Music Row.

About Decca Records: Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. ItsU.S.label was established in late 1934; due to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades. It was noted for its development of recording methods in theUnited Kingdomand for the development of original cast albums in theUnited States. Both wings are now part of the Universal Music Group which is owned by Vivendi, a media conglomerate headquartered inFrance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Drusky, Roy: Complete Singles Catalog

Starday (1955) 45-185 Such A Fool / Mumbling To Myself ~ 4-55

Columbia(1955-57)

• 4-21478 What Am I Worth / Come Onn Back And Love Me ~ 12-55
• 4-21516 So On Love Again / I Can't Help My Lovin' You ~ 4-56
• 4-21537 Three Blind Mice / I'll Make Amends ~ 7-56
• 4-40830 That's When My Heartaches Begin / God Planned It That Way ~ 1-57
• 4-40964 Walkin' / I Walk To Heaven ~ 7-57

Decca (1958-63)

• 9-30793 Just About That Time / Wait And See ~ 1-59
• 9-30943 Such A Fool / Our Church Your Wedding ~ 7-59
• 9-31024 Another / Same Corner ~ 12-59
• 9-31109 Anymore / I'm So Helpless ~ 6-60
• 9-31164 I Can't Tell My Heart / When Do You Love Me w/Kitty Wells ~ 10-60 9-31193 Three Hearts In A Tangle / I'd Rather Loan You Out ~ 1-61
• 31297 I've Got Some / I Went Out Of My Way - 09-61
• 31366 Marking Time / There's Always One (Who Loves ALot) ~ 3-62
• 31411 After You Turn Out Your Light / I'm Not Getting Over You ~ 7-62
• 31443 Second Hand Rose / It Worries Me ~ 11-62
• 31486 She Never Cried When She Was Mine / Divided Love ~ 4-63
• 31523 My World's Losing You / Another Chance To Fall In Love ~ 8-63
• 31717 Almost Can't / Summer Winter Spring And Fall ~ 12-64

Mercury (1963-73)

• 72204 Peel me A Nanner / Room Across The Hall ~ 12-63
• 72265 Pick Of The Week / Yesterday ~ 04-64
• 72335 So Much Got Lost / All For The Love Of A Girl ~ 9-64
• 72376 (From Now On All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers/BirminghamJail ~ 01-65
• 72416 Yes Mr Peters / More Than We Deserve w/Priscilla Mitchell ~ 4-65
• 72471 White Lightnin' Express / Lonely Thing Called Love ~ 9-65
• 72497 Slippin' Around / Trouble On Our Line w/Priscilla Mitchell ~ 10-65
• 72532 Rainbows And Roses / Thing Called Sadness ~ 2-66
• 72561 Rainbows And Roses / Too Many Dollars Not Enough Sence
• 72586 World Is Round / Unless You Make Him Set You Free ~ 6-66
• 72627 If The Whole World Stopped Lovin' / Too Many Footprints ~ 10-66
• 72650 I'll Never Tell On You / Bed Of Roses w/Priscilla Mitchell ~ 2-67
• 72689 New Lips / Now (Is A Lonely Time) ~ 6-67
• 72742 Weakness In A Man / I've Got The Right To The Blues ~ 10-67
• 72784 You'd Better Sit Down Kids / Let's Put Our World Back Together ~ 3-68
• 72823 Jody And The Kid / Your Little Deeds Of Kindness ~ 7-68
• 72865MemphisMorning / I Wouldn't Be Alone - 10-68
• 72886 Where The Blue And Lonely Go / I'm Gonna Get You Off My Mind ~ 1-69
• 72928 My Grass Is Green / Alone With You ~ 5-69 72964 Such A Fool / All Over My Mind ~ 08-69
• 73007 I'll Make Amends / Our Everlasting Love Has Died ~ 1-70
• 73056 Long LongTexas Road/ Emotion-Devotion ~ 4-70
• 73111 All My Hard Times / At Times Everybody's Blind ~ 9-70
• 73178 I Love The Way That You've Been Loving Me / (My Love For You Goes On ~ 2-71
• 73212 I Can't Go On Loving You / You're Shakin' The Hand ~ 5-71
• 73252 Red Red Wine / Without You Baby ~ 10-71
• 73293 Sunshine And Rainbows / Night's Not Over Yet ~ 3-72
• 73314 Last Night I Called Somebody Darlin' / Long Way Back To Love ~ 7-72
• 73356 I Must Be Doin' Something Right / Always You Always Me ~ 12-72
• 73376 That Rain Makin' Baby Of Mine / This Time Of The Year ~ 4-73
• 73405 Satisfied Mind / I'll Take Care Of You - 07-73

Capitol (1974-76)     

• 3859 Close To Home / One Day At A Time ~ 3-74
• 3942 If I Could Paint The World /DixieLily ~ 8-74
• 4028 Baptism Of Jesse Taylor / I'm Knee Deep In Loving You ~ 2-75
• 4132Sunrise/ Warm Warm Bed - 08-75
• 4232 This Life Of Mine / When My Room Gets Dark Again ~ 2-76
• 4281BattleFor Daddy's Soul / Never Before ~ 6-76

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched, compiled and written by Richard Bell, Roots of Country Music, Sep. 2, 2009.