"Crying Time" is a song from 1964 written and originally recorded by the American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...

. It gained greater success in the version recorded by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, which won two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s in 1967. Numerous other cover versions have been performed and recorded over the intervening years.

History

Owens recorded the original version of his song and released it as the B side to the 45 single " I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" in 1964, Capitol 5336, but it failed to reach the music charts. A cover version of "Crying Time" was then recorded by R&B singer

, and his version proved to be a hit. Featuring backing vocals by the

Jack Halloran John T. Halloran (January 10, 1916January 24, 1997) was an American composer and choral director. He died at 81 of a stroke. Biography Early life Born in Rock Rapids, Iowa in 1916, Halloran earned degrees in music from Morningside College in S ...

Singers and

The Raelettes The Raelettes (or occasionally The Raelets or The Raeletts) were an American girl group formed in 1958 to provide backing vocals for Ray Charles. They were reformed from the group The Cookies. Between 1966 and 1973, the Raelettes recorded on ...

, the song reached number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in February 1966. Charles' version of the song also peaked at number five on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and spent three weeks at number one on the

easy listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications) In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 50 on the UK Singles Chart. In addition, Charles' version of "Crying Time" won two

s in 1967, in the categories Best R&B Recording and Best R&B Solo Performance.

Style

Charles intended his version of Owens' song to be a tribute to the country music style he appreciated (Charles had successfully covered other country music songs in the past, such as "

I Can't Stop Loving You "I Can't Stop Loving You" is a popular song written and composed by country singer, songwriter, and musician Don Gibson, who first recorded it on December 3, 1957, for RCA Victor Records. It was released in 1958 as the B-side of "Oh, Lonesome M ...

"). He was quoted as saying that he didn't record "Crying Time" and other country songs written by Owens "out of disrespect for Buck. I'm crazy about Buck. But I heard something that fit my style. The key was keeping my style while watching my style work in different ways."

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

recorded a cover of the song for the 1966 album ''

How Does That Grab You? ''How Does That Grab You?'' is the second studio album by Nancy Sinatra, released on Reprise Records in 1966. Arranged and conducted by Billy Strange, the album was produced by Lee Hazlewood. It peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. ...

''. *

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

recorded the song for his 1969 album ''

I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am "I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am" is a song written and performed by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in October 1968 as the only single from his album '' Pride in What I Am''. The song peaked a ...

'' *

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

I never got to record it in a studio, but I perform it sometimes in the summer season: August 1970 in Las Vegas. *

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

and

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

recorded the song, which can be found on the album: Tammy Wynette Live at Church Street Station. *Ray Charles and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

memorably performed the song as a duet on her 1973 soundtrack album from her CBS television special '' Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments''. This cover was featured in the episode "The Glass Is Always Cleaner" of the drama series ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

''. Streisand also included a solo version of the song on her 1974 album ''

ButterFly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

''. *

Lorrie Morgan Loretta Lynn Morgan (born June 27, 1959) is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. Mo ...

recorded a cover of the song for the soundtrack to the 1993 film ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family from ...

''. Her version peaked at number 59 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart. * Andre Hazes recorded the song with new Dutch lyrics for his 1989 blues album ''Dit Is Wat Ik Wil'' (''This Is What I Want'') as ''Jammer'' (''It's a pity''), a warning against pollution of the earth. The song, released as a single, features a guitar solo by

Jan Akkerman Jan Akkerman (born 24 December 1946) is a Dutch guitarist. He first found international commercial success with the band Focus (band), Focus, which he co-founded with Thijs van Leer. After leaving Focus, he continued as a solo musician, adding ja ...

. *Yugoslav band

Dinamiti Dinamiti (trans. ''The Dynamites'') were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Osijek in 1963. They were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav rock scene. Dinamiti were formed in 1963 by Krunoslav "Kićo" Slabinac (vocals, rhythm guitar), Antun "Tuca" ...

made a recording of their version in 1964, but it remained unpublished until 2005, when it appeared on the

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

''Kad je rock bio mlad - Priče sa istočne strane (1956-1970)'' (''When Rock Was Young - East Side Stories (1956-1970)''), released by

Croatia Records Croatia Records is the largest major record label in Croatia, based in Zagreb ( Dubrava). Summary Croatia Records d.d. is a joint-stock company currently led by the chief executive officer Želimir Babogredac, a notable sound engineer. It releases ...

and featuring songs by the pioneering Yugoslav rock acts.

References

{{authority control 1964 songs 1965 singles Torch songs Buck Owens songs Ray Charles songs Barbra Streisand songs Lorrie Morgan songs Songs written by Buck Owens ABC Records singles