James Mullins (born January 11, 1941), better known as Jimmy Velvit, is an American

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

singer, who began his career in the 1960s. He is originally from

Coalgate, Oklahoma Coalgate is a city in and the county seat of Coal County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2010 census, a 1.9 percent decrease from the figure of 2,005 recorded in 2000. The town was founded in 1889 in the Choctaw Nation, ...

, later from

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. He is best known for recording a white

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

version, in 1962, of

Robert & Johnny Robert & Johnny were an American doo-wop duo from The Bronx, composed of Robert Carr and Johnny Mitchell. Biography The duo released about a dozen singles for Old Town Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Two of them charted: "We Belo ...

's 1958 hit "

We Belong Together "We Belong Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her 10th studio album, ''The Emancipation of Mimi'' (2005). The song was released on March 15, 2005, through Island Records, as the second single from the album. "W ...

". Velvit's first release was "Sometimes at Night" on Division Records in 1961, afterwards released on

Cub Records Cub Records was an American record label, and a subsidiary of MGM Records, which started in 1958 for rhythm and blues releases. Artists who released records on Cub included the Impalas (" Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)"), Jimmy Jones (" Handy ...

(a division of

M-G-M Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

). He also recorded under the name 'James Bell', in 1968, when he charted "He Ain't Country", a

Country & Western 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, old ...

release, for

Bell Records Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny ...

. In 2001, his album ''Sun Sea and Sand'' (

Seduction Seduction has multiple meanings. Platonically, it can mean "to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty", or "to lead astray, usually by persuasion or false promises". Strategies of seduction include conversation and sexual scripts, paralingual ...

SCD-103) was nominated for a

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 pres ...

. Velvit was still recording and performing .

Discography

;45 RPM Singles (listed in alphabetical order by label) (incomplete) *Donna/Her Love –

Abnak Records Abnak Records was a record label based in Dallas, Texas, owned by Fort Worth insurance man John Howard Abdnor Sr., active from 1963 to 1971, begun mainly as an outlet for his son John H. Abdnor Jr., primarily as Jon & Robin. The most success fo ...

108 – 1965 *That's All I Got From You (with

Bobby Hendricks Robert Raymond Hendricks (February 22, 1938 – March 25, 2022)

)/I Got A Feeling –

Alta Records ''Alta Records'' was a record label founded in Dallas, Texas in the early 1960s by pioneer, radio personality Jim Lowe. Lowe was a popular DJ who hosted a rhythm and blues program "Kat's Karavan" from the WRR-AM studios located at Fair Park in ...

108 – 1963 *Sometimes I Wonder/My Heart Is in Your Hands –

109 - 1963 *Woman in Bloom/Let Me Keep Your Love –

692 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) – 1967 *He Ain't Country/A Friendly Place To Cry –

710 (recorded as James Bell) – 1968 *The Pretty Boy/Poor Old Me –

45,003 (recorded as James Bell) – 1968 *Accused/Come' On John – BI Records 5029 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) *Love Is Missing/How Sad Chicago – BI Records 5039 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) *California Good Times/Jack Frost Loving Co. – Blue Records PJ-651 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) *180% Me/ Let Me Keep Your Love - Bollman International Records 5004 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) - 1975 *Lonely Is Another Word For Me/ Undune, The Arab - Bollman International Records 5014 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) - 1975 *Sometimes at Night/Look At Me –

– K9100 – 1961 *We Belong Together/I'm Gonna Try –

– K9105 – 1962 *Sometimes at Night/Look At Me – Division Records 102 – 1961 *Gotta Lotta Women/I Can't Help It, I Love You – Shane Records 40 – 1963 *Wisdom of a Fool/I Want To Be Loved – Startime Records – S-103 - 1964 *Don't Go Near A Woman/Hey Nashville -

Tear Drop Records Tear Drop Records was a record label founded in Winnie, Texas, United States, in the early 1960s by recording pioneer and radio personality, Huey P Meaux. As a deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays re ...

TD-3353 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) - 1977 *Drinking Champagne/I Like Her There –

TD-3383 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) – 1977 *Old Lonesome Me - Detroit City/King Of The Road - Crazy Arms -

TD-3395 (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) - 1977 ;Albums *''JIMMY VELVET "COUNTRY"'' –

TD 2067 LP (recorded as Jimmy Velvet) – 1977 *''Bitches I Have Known'' – Seduction Records SCD-101 CD *''Rockin' With Velvit...the 1960s'' – Seduction Records SCD-102 CD *''Sun Sea And Sand'' – Seduction Records SCD-103 CD *''Paranormal Events'' – Derrick Records DRC-1003 CD *''Jimmy Velvit – The Original'' –

Collectables Records Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Jerry Greene formed Lost Nite and Crimson record labels. Soul Survivors gained the hit "Expressway to Your Heart" (1967) while on Crimson Records. History It maintains a ca ...

COL-5530 CD *''The Best of JIMMY VELVIT'' – Key-Loc Records CD *''River Bottom Blues'' – Seduction Records SCD-131 *''He Ain't Country'' – (Jimmy Velvit/James Bell) Seduction Records SCD-128 ;Compilation albums ''(albums including at least one Jimmy Velvit track)'' *''Sounds Like Elvis'' VA, Collectables COL-5700 ''(Mystery Train & Rockin' With Elvis Tonight)'' *''Big 'D' Rock – Vol One'', VA Collectables COL-5553 ''(Rockin' With Elvis Tonight)'' *''Big 'D' Rock – Vol Two'', VA Collectables COL-5554 ''(Look at Me)'' *''Super Rare Doo-Wops – Vol One,'' VA ''(Wisdom of A Fool)'' *''Rare 60's – Collection of Texas Artists'', VA Collector's Choice ''(We Belong Together)'' *''Merry Christmas From Texas'' VA Texas B Records (I'll Be Home For Christmas/Santa's Got The Blues/Blue Christmas) ;CD singles *2000 President Elect Blues – Derrick Records DRC-2000

References

ARSA Radio Surveys Archive
5/12/62

Sources

*Osborne Record Guide (Osborne, Jerry, Fifteenth Edition, 2001) *CD liner notes from "Jimmy Velvit – The Original" Collectables Records, 1995 *CD liner notes from "Rockin' With Velvit...the 1960s" Seduction Records, 2000 *Dallas Public Library *KBOX Radio Chart/Survey Archives *Dallas Times Herald *Texas Music Industry Directory (published by The Texas Music Office) Office of the Governor, Austin, Texas {{DEFAULTSORT:Velvit, Jimmy Living people People from Coalgate, Oklahoma American male singer-songwriters American bandleaders Musicians from Dallas American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock songwriters American rock singers American male composers 20th-century American composers American rhythm and blues singers American country singer-songwriters Place of birth missing (living people) Singer-songwriters from Texas Bell Records artists Alta Records artists Cub Records artists Tear Drop Records artists Jimmy Velvit songs 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 1941 births 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Guitarists from Oklahoma Guitarists from Texas Country musicians from Texas Country musicians from Oklahoma 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers