Darrell McCall
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Darrell McCall (born April 30, 1940) is a
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, ...
performer, known for his
honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...
and traditional country musical style at the height of his career in the 1960s, and his return to popularity during the Outlaw country era in the late 1970s.


Early life

McCall was born and raised in
New Jasper Township, Greene County, Ohio New Jasper Township is one of the twelve townships of Greene County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,639. Geography Located in the east central part of the county, it borders the following townships: * Cedarvill ...
. He was a boyhood friend of fellow future musician
Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greates ...
. At the age of 15, he landed a job as a disc jockey at a local Ohio radio show on Saturday mornings. During this time, he also performed as a musician at dances and other events. After graduating from high school, McCall joined the military and was stationed in
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
.Darrell McCall
CMT.


Career

In 1958, after finishing his duty in the army, McCall moved to
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
with Paycheck to record as a duo. The duo failed but McCall soon found work as a background singer during recording sessions for various artists including
Faron Young Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country music producer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. Hits including "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and " Live Fast, Love Hard, D ...
,
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", ...
and Ray Price. Next, he began to tour with the bands of Young, Price and the newcomer
Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
In 1959, McCall was contacted by Nashville producer
Buddy Killen William Doyce “Buddy” Killen (November 13, 1932 – November 1, 2006) was an American record producer and music publisher, and a former owner of Trinity Broadcasting Network and Tree International Publishing, the largest country music p ...
, and asked to join a pop band he was forming called The Little Dippers. The band released the top ten pop hit "
Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
" in 1960. The next year, McCall was signed by
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
as a solo singer. He released two singles for the label, but neither charted and the performer was subsequently released by Capitol. In 1962, McCall signed with
Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...
as a country music singer. He released the hit "A Stranger Was Here," which peaked at No. 17. Later in the year he performed the theme for the film ''
Hud Hud or HUD may refer to: Entertainment * ''Hud'' (1963 film), a 1963 film starring Paul Newman * ''Hud'' (1986 film), a 1986 Norwegian film * ''HUD'' (TV program), or ''Heads Up Daily'', a Canadian e-sports television program Places * Hud, Fa ...
'', which starred actor
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
. McCall decided to begin an acting career in 1965. He appeared in numerous films including ''Nashville Rebel'', ''Road to Nashville'' and ''What Am I Bid''. During his acting career, McCall also traveled to the American Southwest to perform in rodeos as a cowboy. In 1968, he decided to return to recording. In 1968, McCall signed with "Wayside Records" and released four singles. In 1970, he released his first album, ''Meet Darrell McCall'' for
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
. Hank Williams Jr. recorded a song penned by McCall in 1971 entitled "
Eleven Roses "Eleven Roses" is a song written by Lamar Morris and Darrell McCall and recorded by American musician Hank Williams Jr. It was released in March 1972 as the only single and title track from the album of the same name. The song was Williams' first ...
." It became a No. 1 hit for Williams and resulted in a songwriting contract offer from "
Tree International Publishing {{Short description, American music publishing company Tree International Publishing was a major music publisher, based in Nashville. As the last major music publisher that was owned and operated in Nashville, it was sold to the Sony Music, CBS Rec ...
" for McCall, who accepted. In 1974, he signed with
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
, releasing the single "There's Still a Lot of Love in San Antone." The following year he left Atlantic and signed with
Columbia records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. During this period his popularity grew due to the Outlaw Country sound being pushed into the mainstream. With Columbia he recorded the hit duet "Lily Dale" with
Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
, which became a top 40 hit and was awarded the "Best Duet of 1977" by ''
Cash Box Magazine ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
''. After a few more singles with the label, McCall signed with Hillside Records in 1980 and released a single, but then decided to sign with
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
. With RCA, he released his final top 40 hit "Long Line of Empties." His final charting single "Memphis in May" was released for Indigo Records in 1984. In 1986, McCall recorded two albums, including one with
Johnny Bush John Bush Shinn III (February 17, 1935October 16, 2020) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Nicknamed the "Country Caruso", Bush was best known for his distinctive voice and for writing the song "Whiskey River", a t ...
. Following these releases, he stopped recording but continued to tour. However, he did appear as the lead singer on a few tracks of the Ace in the Hole's 1995 debut album.Mazak, Grant
Ace in the Hole Band
''Texas Music History Online'', 2006.
McCall continues to tour and perform on a regular basis. His wife Mona is also part of the touring band, where she contributes guitar and vocals. More recently, McCall began recording new material for Heart of Texas Records, an independent record label specializing in classic country music. He has released several albums through the label, including studio albums, a greatest hits collection and a duets record called "Survivors," with fellow classic country artists Curtis Potter and Tony Booth.


Discography


Studio albums


Compilation albums


Singles


Guest singles


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCall, Darrell 1940 births American country singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Ohio Living people People from Greene County, Ohio Columbia Records artists Country musicians from Ohio