Charlie "Hoss" Singleton | |
|---|---|
 Singleton on August 9, 1985 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Charles Fowler Singleton, Jr. (1913-09-17)September 17, 1913 Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Died | December 12, 1985(1985-12-12) (aged 72) Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
| Years active | 1950s–1980s |
Charles Fowler Singleton Jr. (September 17, 1913 – December 12, 1985),[1] known asCharlie "Hoss" Singleton, was an American songwriter, best known for having co-written the lyrics for "Strangers in the Night" and "Moon Over Naples" (later covered as "Spanish Eyes").[2][3]
Singleton wrote or co-wrote more than a thousand songs. "Strangers in the Night" reached number one on theBillboard charts forFrank Sinatra, and theElvis Presley version of "Spanish Eyes" sold in excess of three million copies.[2]
Charles Singleton attended several schools in and aroundJacksonville,Florida, United States, and graduated in 1935 fromStanton High School. He was always interested in singing and dancing, and by the time he left school he had become a proficient songwriter. He also produced shows and was responsible for several musical extravaganzas, includingApril Frolics, which was staged at a nightspot inLaVilla in Jacksonville. Singleton continued to work in Jacksonville into the 1940s.[2]
In the early 1950s, Singleton moved to New York City and presented his lyrics toDecca Records, who signed him up as a songwriter. By 1954, he had teamed up withRose Marie McCoy, and the pair had their first writing successes with suchR&B hits asJoe Turner's "Well All Right",Faye Adams' number 1 R&B hit "It Hurts Me to My Heart", andRuth Brown's "Mambo Baby".[4] Singleton and McCoy also wrote "Tryin' to Get to You",[5] notably recorded byElvis Presley atSun (1955) but first released byWashington, D.C. groupThe Eagles in 1954. In 1956, Singleton and McCoy, as Charlie and Rosie, recorded asingle together onRCA Victor.[6]
Singleton went on to write songs for a number of notable artists, includingPat Boone,Nat King Cole,Ella Fitzgerald,B. B. King,Peggy Lee,Johnny Mathis,Wayne Newton andAndy Williams.[2] One of his biggest writing successes was "Don't Forbid Me" by Pat Boone, a number onepop hit recorded in 1956.[4] In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Singleton largely wrote songs without a writing partner, and also recorded an album,The Big Twist Hits, released in 1962 and credited to the Charlie "Hoss" Singleton Combo.[7]
"Strangers in the Night" began as an instrumental called "Beddy Bye", by German bandleader and composerBert Kaempfert, which appeared on the soundtrack of the filmA Man Could Get Killed. WhenFrank Sinatra's producerJimmy Bowen heard the tune, he asked Kaempfert to turn it into a song, and Kaempfert approached Singleton and American composer and songwriterEddie Snyder for help. Singleton wrote the lyrics and Snyder adapted the music for what became "Strangers in the Night".[8] Sinatra initially called the song "a piece of shit" after the firsttake had to be discarded because session guitaristGlen Campbell had made a mistake.[8] But Sinatra changed his mind during the second take when he began adlibbing "dooby-dooby-doo".[8] "Strangers in the Night" reached number-one on theBillboardHot 100 andAdult Contemporary charts in 1966,[9] and rejuvenated Sinatra's career.[2]
Singleton and Snyder had also reworked another Kaempfert instrumental called "Moon Over Naples" into the song "Spanish Eyes", which was successfully recorded by Elvis Presley,Al Martino,Engelbert Humperdinck,Tom Jones,Willie Nelson,Julio Iglesias,Faith No More, and others.[2][3][8]
Singleton, who also produced severalplatinum albums, died in 1985.[2]
In some sources, Singleton seems to be confused with another musician called Charlie Singleton, a saxophonist born in Kansas City around 1930, who recordedjump blues in New York from around 1950.[1][10]
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