Don Gibson
Gibson in 1970
Background information
Born	Donald Eugene Gibson (1928-04-03)April 3, 1928 Shelby, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	November 17, 2003(2003-11-17) (aged 75) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1949–2003
Labels	Mercury Records,RCA Victor,Hickory

Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928^[1] – November 17, 2003) was an Americancountry singer and songwriter. Gibson wrote such country standards as the ballad "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1956 until the late '70s, including number ones on theUS Country Chart withOh Lonesome Me andBlue Blue Day, both tracks he also wrote.

Gibson was a inductee into theCountry Music Hall of Fame and theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, nicknamed "the Sad Poet" because he frequently wrote songs that told of loneliness and lost love.^[1]

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Don Gibson was born inShelby, North Carolina,^[1] into a poor, working-class family. He dropped out of school in the second grade.

Gibson's first band was called Sons of the Soil, with whom he made his first recording forMercury Records in 1949.^[1] In 1957, he journeyed toNashville to work with producerChet Atkins and record his self-penned songs "Oh Lonesome Me"^[2] and "I Can't Stop Loving You" forRCA Victor. The afternoon session resulted in a double-sided hit on both the country and pop charts. "Oh Lonesome Me" set the pattern for a long series of other RCA hits. "Blue Blue Day", recorded prior to "Oh, Lonesome Me" was a number-une hit in 1958. His later singles included "Look Who's Blue" (1958), "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" (1959), "Sea of Heartbreak" (1961), "Lonesome No. 1", "I Can Mend Your Broken Heart" (1962), and "Woman (Sensuous Woman)", a number-one country hit in 1972.^[1]

Gibson recorded a series of successfulduets withDottie West in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the most successful of which were the number-two country hit "Rings of Gold" (1969) and the top-10 hit "There's a Story Goin' Round" (1970).^[1] West and Gibson released an album together in 1969, titledDottie and Don. He also recorded several duets withSue Thompson,^[1] among these being the top-40 hits "I Think They Call It Love" (1972), "Good Old Fashioned Country Love" (1974), and "Oh, How Love Changes" (1975).

His song "I Can't Stop Loving You" has been recorded by over 700 artists, most notably byRay Charles in 1962.^[1] He also wrote and recorded "Sweet Dreams", a song that became a major 1963crossover hit forPatsy Cline.Roy Orbison was a fan of Gibson's songwriting, and in 1967, he recorded an album of his songs simply titledRoy Orbison Sings Don Gibson.^[1] Gibson's wide appeal was also shown inNeil Young's recorded version of "Oh Lonesome Me" on his 1970 album,After the Gold Rush, which is one of the few songs Young has recorded that he did not write.^[3]

Don married Bobbi Patterson in 1967. He died of natural causes on November 17, 2003.^[4]

Gibson was inducted into theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973. In 2001, he was inducted into theCountry Music Hall of Fame and theNorth Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010.^[5]

Located inCleveland County, North Carolina, the Don Gibson Theater opened in November 2009 in historic uptown Shelby. Originally constructed in 1939, the renovated art deco gem features an exhibit of the life and accomplishments of singer-songwriter Don Gibson, an intimate 400-seat music hall, and adjoining function space that can accommodate up to 275 people. The theater showcases a busy schedule of premier musical performances. Past performers have includedMarty Stuart,Pam Tillis,Tom Paxton,Ralph Stanley,Vince Gill,Ricky Skaggs,John Oates, andGene Watson.^[6]

• Wolfe, Stacey (1998). "Don Gibson". InThe Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York:Oxford University Press. p. 199.

• Don Gibson Discography
• Gibson discography at Emory Law
• Gibson in the Country Music Hall of Fame
• Gibson at the Nashville Songwriters Foundation
• Allmusic Don Gibson with Biography, Discography, Charts
• Don Gibson discography atDiscogs
• Website for the Don Gibson Theater

• 1928 births
• 2003 deaths
• People from Shelby, North Carolina
• American country singer-songwriters
• Country musicians from North Carolina
• Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
• Grand Ole Opry members
• RCA Victor artists
• Hickory Records artists
• 20th-century American singer-songwriters
• Singer-songwriters from North Carolina

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