James Francis Vienneau (born September 18, 1926) is an American retired

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

. He is best known for producing "

It's Only Make Believe "It's Only Make Believe" is a song written by drummer Jack Nance and Mississippi-born singer Conway Twitty, while both were touring across Ontario, Canada in 1958. The song was recorded on May 7 for MGM Records; produced by Jim Vienneau, it fe ...

" by Conway Twitty.

Childhood

Jim Vienneau was born on September 18, 1926, to Marian Catherine "Mary" (née Boyne) (1891-1989) and Alfred Edmond Vienneau (1886-1966), in Albany, New York. He had two older siblings, Alfred Edmond (1918-1920) and Edmond Boyne "Ed" (1923-1995) Vienneau. Alfred Vienneau was an electrical salesman who was originally from

New Brunswick, Canada New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and F ...

, and Mary Boyne Vienneau was a housewife originally from

Philmont, New York Philmont is a village in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,379 at the 2010 census. The village is located in the northeastern part of the town of Claverack on New York State Route 217. History The community was onc ...

. When Jim was a toddler, the family moved to

North Hempstead North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled by Europeans around 1643 and became part of the town of Hemps ...

and later to

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. His maternal uncle was fellow music producer and

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

Frank Walker, the husband of Marian Vienneau's sister Laura Walker.

Early career and success with Conway Twitty

As a young man, he was mentored in producing

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

by his uncle Frank Walker, a producer of hit

singers 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 ...

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock a ...

and Hank Williams, In 1956, he was signed as a producer by the president of MGM Records, Arnold Maxin, and began working out of the company's offices on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, commuting to Nashville at times for recording sessions. He signed his most famous client Conway Twitty two years later and produced the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

number-one hit, "

" in 1958. Originally, he decided not to sign Twitty, but was overruled by Arnold Maxin. He ended up being the producer for many of Twitty's songs from 1958 to 1963.

Other clients

Over the next 30 years or so, Vienneau continued to produce songs for many other successful artists including

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

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 ...

, Roy Orbison, Mark Dinning,

Bob Gallion Bob Gallion (April 22, 1924 in Ashland, Kentucky – August 20, 1999) was an American country music singer. Between 1958 and 1973, he recorded for various country labels, charting nine times on the Hot Country Songs charts. His biggest hit ...

Mel Tillis Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932 – November 19, 2017) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, ...

, and

Marvin Rainwater Marvin Karlton Rainwater (July 2, 1925 – September 17, 2013) was an American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter who had several hits during the late 1950s, including " Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" and " Whole Lotta Woman," which hit #1 o ...

. His most successful hit for Connie Francis was the song

Vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for specific festi ...

, which peaked at #9 on the

in 1962. In 1960, he produced the latter of his two

number-one singles, "Teen Angel" for Mark Dinning. The song "Whole Lotta Woman" by Marvin Rainwater ended up being a hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and was a number-one hit on the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

there. He continued to produce music until his retirement in 1989.

Personal life

Jim Vienneau currently lives in

Nashville, Tennessee 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 ...

and is retired. He and his wife Joan Preston Vienneau have been married for over 60 years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vienneau, Jim 1926 births Living people