Little David Wilkins (born May 18, 1945[1]) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. Between 1969 and 1977, he recorded for MCA Records with whom he released his greatest number of chart hits.
Little David Wilkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 18, 1945 Parsons, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1969-current |
| Labels | Sun Records Plantation Records MCA Charly Records Sun/Plantation subsidiary Playboy Epic [16th Avenue Records][BearFamily Records Sun Records Vol #6] |
Wilkins performed at a nightclub in Parsons, Tennessee during the 1960s. He rose to fame as the writer of many songs that were performed by other artists; his first was Brenda Lee's 1966 hit single "Coming on Strong". Other artists who have recorded his songs include Charley Pride, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Jack Greene, Leroy Van Dyke, Stonewall Jackson, Sonny James, Ronnie Dove, Barbara Mandrell, and Percy Sledge.[2]
He was also the inspiration behind Elvis Presley's 1975 single "T-R-O-U-B-L-E".[3]
One of Wilkins' songs, "Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring", was later covered by Conway Twitty.[4]
After his success in songwriting for other artists brought him attention, Wilkins began recording his own songs, beginning with a 1969 single "Just Blow In His Ear".
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| Little David Wilkins |
|
31[5] |
| King of All the Taverns |
|
48[6] |
| Top 10 Hits Plus 3 |
|
— |
| Boogie Woogie Man |
|
— |
| New Horizons |
|
— |
| Farther Down the Road |
|
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country[1] | CAN Country[7] | |||
| 1969 | "Just Blow in His Ear" (as David Wilkins) | 54 | — | singles only |
| 1973 | "Love in the Back Seat" | 63 | — | |
| "Too Much Hold Back" | 41 | 60 | Little David Wilkins | |
| 1974 | "Georgia Keeps Pulling on My Ring" | 50 | — | |
| "Not Tonight" | 77 | — | ||
| "Whoever Turned You On Forgot to Turn You Off" | 14 | 8 | ||
| 1975 | "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" | 11 | 48 | King of All the Taverns |
| 1976 | "The Good Night Special" | 18 | 14 | |
| "Disco-Tex"/"Half the Way In, Half the Way Out" | 75 | — | ||
| "The Greatest Show on Earth" | 88 | — | ||
| 1977 | "He'll Play the Music (But You Can't Make Him Dance)" | 21 | 36 | singles only |
| "Is Everybody Ready" | 60 | — | ||
| "Agree to Disagree" | 21 | 32 | ||
| 1978 | "Don't Stop the Music (You're Playing My Song)" | 68 | — | |
| "Motel Rooms" | 74 | — | ||
| 1986 | "Lady in Distress" | 79 | — | |
| 1987 | "Butterbeans" (with Johnny Russell) | 72 | — | |
| "It's Quittin' Time" (with Johnny Russell) | — | — | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 462. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Edwards, Joe (2 April 1977). "David Wilkins is now coming on strong". The Free-Lance Star. Associated Press. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ "Story Behind the Song: T-R-O-U-B-L-E". Country Weekly. 3 December 2002. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ Stambler, Irwin; Landon, Grelun; Stambler, Lyndon (2000). Country Music: The Encyclopedia. Macmillan. p. 510. ISBN 9780312264871.
- ^ "Chart listing for Little David Wilkins". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ "Chart listing for King of All the Taverns". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ "Search results for Little David Wilkins". RPM. Retrieved 1 June 2011.