Henson Cargill (February 5, 1941
– March 24, 2007)
was an 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, ...
singer best known for the socially controversial 1968 Country No. 1 hit "
Skip a Rope
"Skip a Rope' is a song written by Jack Moran and Glenn Douglas Tubb and recorded by American country music artist Henson Cargill, released in November 1967 as the first single and title track from the album ''Skip a Rope''. The song was Cargill ...
". His music career began in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
in clubs around
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
and
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
. He earned national recognition after getting a
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 ...
producer to agree to produce "Skip a Rope".
Cargill had a number of Top 20 hits including "Row Row Row" (1968), "None of My Business", and "The Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I Ever Heard" (1970). Later hits included "Some Old California Memory" and "Silence on the Line". He also had a television show and performed for many years in
Reno
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
and
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 ...
.
Early life
Cargill was born in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
, United States.
His family was active in politics and raised bison on a ranch outside Oklahoma City, where his grandfather,
O. A. Cargill, served as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
in the 1920s. Cargill graduated from
Northwest Classen High School
Northwest Classen High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9–12 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
History
Northwest Classen High School was built in 1955 to accommodate the growing population in the northwest corridor of Okla ...
. Marrying his high school sweetheart, Marta, he moved to
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado
Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...
, in the early 1960s to study
veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
at
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
. Returning to Oklahoma City, he worked as a court clerk, private investigator, and deputy sheriff.
"Henson Cargill, 1941–2007
, ''Edmond Sun
The ''Edmond Sun'' was a daily newspaper serving the Edmond and Deer Creek communities."Edmond Sun", Finder Binder: Oklahoma's Update Media Directory, 2009 Winter Issue. The ''Edmond Sun'' was owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.[Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...]
and Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
. While working the late shift as a deputy sheriff, Cargill received a visit from his friend and fellow musician Johnny Johnson, who told him of a seasoned and professional vocal group he had been recording with. Henson began recording locally at the Sully Studios with the Kimberleys as backup. They began to tour together all over the west.
In the mid 1960s, Cargill went to Nashville and recorded "Skip A Rope". He released his album on the Monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...
Label in 1967 and immediately scored in a big way with this first release. The song became a hit, spending five weeks at No. 1 on the country chart in 1968, and also making his only Top 25 appearance on the pop charts (making him a one-hit wonder in the pop music field). This success generated much media attention, and he was in demand on such TV programs as ''The Mike Douglas Show
''The Mike Douglas Show'' was an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went into nati ...
'' to ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
''.
After "Skip a Rope", Cargill continued to have Top 20 hits with such songs as "Row Row Row" (1968), "None of My Business" (his only other Top 10) (1969), and "The Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I Ever Heard" (1970). He hosted a television show, ''Country Hayride'', beginning in 1962, and performed for many years in Reno
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
and 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 ...
. Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
was godfather to his oldest son, Cash. After leaving Monument Records, Henson moved to Mega Records
Mega Records was a Nashville, Tennessee-based music label founded in 1970 by former RCA Records executive Brad McCuen along with Harry E. Pratt. Its most successful recording artist was Sammi Smith who also recorded the label's very first single. ...
in 1971, where he scored several minor hits. In 1973, he made a strong comeback to the charts when 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 ...
and scored two Top 30 hits in 1974 with "Some Old California Memory" and a version of Mac Davis
Morris Mac Davis (January 21, 1942 – September 29, 2020) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and actor. A native of Lubbock, Texas, he enjoyed success as a crossover artist, and during his early career he wrote for Elvis Presley, ...
' hit song " Stop and Smell the Roses". In 1980, he formed his own record label Copper Mountain Records and he scored his last Top 30 hit that year with "Silence on the Line".
Cargill was one of the earliest guests on Bill Aken's radio show "The Country Call Line" in the mid-1980s, appearing uncompensated to help launch the show. He performed a half-hour segment with his story of 'Buford The Buffalo'. In 1981, Henson gave up touring to found an Oklahoma City nightclub, "Henson's."
Later life and death
In the late 1980s, he retired to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
, where he wed Sharon Simms on September 8, 1988. He died on March 24, 2007, aged 66, during surgery.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
Answers
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cargill, Henson
1941 births
2007 deaths
Musicians from Oklahoma City
American male singer-songwriters
American country singer-songwriters
Monument Records artists
Atlantic Records artists
Country musicians from Oklahoma
Northwest Classen High School alumni
Colorado State University alumni
20th-century American singers
Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma
20th-century American male singers