Gene Louis O'Quin (or Oquin) (September 9, 1932 – November 27, 1978) was an American
country and western
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, or d ...
and
honky tonk
A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, honky tonk, or tonk) is either a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons or the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ...
singer born in
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
on September 9, 1932 He established himself professionally at Dallas' Big "D" Jamboree, a
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
-like radio showcase, becoming one of its most popular entertainers. O'Quin recorded his first song at the age of 15 and was signed by
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
.
He later relocated to California. His recording career reached its peak between 1950 and 1955.
O'Quin's voice was high and nasally and had a twang evocative of
Little Jimmy Dickens
James Cecil Dickens (December 19, 1920 – January 2, 2015), better known by his stage name Little Jimmy Dickens, was an American country music singer and songwriter famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size (4'10" 50 cm, and hi ...
. He cut many
novelty songs
A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of Comedy music, humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with Comedy music, comedy songs, which are more explic ...
and boogie-woogie records. The persona in his records was happy-go-lucky and well suited to
hillbilly music
''Hillbilly'' is a term historically used for White people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in the Appalachian region and Ozarks. As people migrated out of the region during the Great Depression, the term sp ...
. Although he did not record any
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...
songs in his career, rockabilly enthusiasts have embraced him. His career was eclipsed with the advent of
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and 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 African ...
but he did not successfully make the transition as rockabilly artists did.
O'Quin died when his car was hit by a bus in
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...
on November 27, 1978.
Discography
*"Boogie Woogie Fever"
*"It's No Use Talkin' Baby (I'm Through)" Capitol 1821
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References
External links
Gene O'Quin
YouTube Gene O'Quin performing "I'm Gonna Live the Life."
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American country singer-songwriters
Capitol Records artists
Country musicians from Texas
Singer-songwriters from California
Singer-songwriters from Texas
Singers from Dallas
1932 births
1978 deaths
20th-century American singer-songwriters
Country musicians from California
Road incident deaths in California
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