Eugene Church (January 22, 1938 – April 3, 1993) was an American R&B

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and songwriter. Church was born in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. In the 1950s, he collaborated with

Jesse Belvin Jesse Lorenzo Belvin (December 15, 1932 – February 6, 1960) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter popular in the 1950s. Belvin co-wrote the 1954 Penguins' doo-wop classic " Earth Angel", which sold more than 10 million copies, while h ...

releasing

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

Modern Records Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and John Lee ...

as The Cliques. Their 1956 single, "The Girl in My Dreams" b/w "I Wanna Know Why", peaked at #45 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Late in the 1950s, he released four singles of his own, as Eugene Church & the Fellows. The first two were

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

: "

Pretty Girls Everywhere "Pretty Girls Everywhere" is a song written by Eugene Church and Thomas Williams. The song was first a hit for the American singer Eugene Church with his group The Fellows (including session drummer Earl Palmer) in 1958. Church's recording for ...

" went No. 6 R&B, No. 36 Pop, and "Miami" hit No. 14 R&B and No. 67 Pop. They were followed by "Good News" and "Mind Your Own Business", neither of which charted. Church later pursued a career in

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and returned to

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

music in the 1990s in

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

revues.

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

Allmusic.com Church died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in April 1993, at age 55.Thedeadrockstarsclub.com
- accessed August 2010

Discography

987 - '"Girl of My Dreams" / "I Wanna Know Why" 1956 *Modern Records 995 - "I'm in Love (With a Girl)" / "My Desire" 1956 *

Specialty Records Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloyd P ...

604 - "Open Up Your Heart" / "How Long" 1957 *Contender Records - "It's True" (with The Hollywood Saxons) 1958 *Knight Records 2012 - "Deacon Dan Tucker" / "Little Darling" 1958 *

Class Records Class Records was an American record label established in Los Angeles, California in 1951 by songwriter and record producer Leon René. Leon René and his brother Otis had previously established and run the independent rhythm and blues labels E ...

235 - "

" / "For the Rest of My Life" 1958 *Class Records 254 - "Miami" / "I Ain't Goin' For That" 1959 *Class Records 261 - "Jack of All Trades" / "Without Soul" 1959 *Class Records 266 - "The Struttin' Kind" / "That's What's Happnin'" 1960 *Rendezvous 132 - "Good News" / "Polly" 1960 * King Records 5545 - "Mind Your Own Business" / "You Got the Right Idea" 1961 *King Records 5589 - "That's All I Want" / "Geneva" 1962 *King Records 5610 - "Light of the Moon" / "I'm Your Taboo Man" 1962 *King Records 5659 - "The Right Girl, the Right Time" / "Pretty Baby Won't You Come on Home" 1962 *King Records 5715 - "Time Has Brought About a Change" / "

Sixteen Tons "Sixteen Tons" is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Travis first recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California, on August 8, 1946. Cliff ...

" 1963

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church, Eugene 1938 births 1993 deaths King Records artists Modern Records artists Specialty Records artists Class Records artists Deaths from cancer in California Musicians from St. Louis 20th-century American singers Singers from Missouri 20th-century American male singers