Johnny Bush

Johnny Bush

Johnny Bush at the 2007 Texas Book Festival.
Background information
Birth name John Bush Shinn III
Also known as The Country Caruso
Born (1935-02-17) February 17, 1935
Houston, Texas, US
Genres Country, honky-tonk, western swing
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Guitar, drums, fiddle
Years active 1952–present
Labels Stop, Million, Starday, RCA, Delta, TCE, Watermelon, Texas Music Group, BGM, Heart of Texas, Icehouse Music
Associated acts Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Darrell McCall
Website www.johnnybush.com

Johnny Bush (born February 17, 1935 as John Bush Shinn III in Houston, Texas) is a country music singer, songwriter, and drummer. Bush, nicknamed the "Country Caruso," is best known for his distinctive voice and as the writer of "Whiskey River," a top-ten hit for himself and Willie Nelson's signature song. He is still popular in his native Texas.[1]

Biography and early career

Born John Bush Shinn III in the blue-collar neighborhood of Kashmere Gardens in Houston, Texas, Bush listened to the western swing music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and the honky-tonk sounds of artists like Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, and Hank Thompson. Thanks to a disc jockey uncle, Bush got a taste for performance. In 1952 he moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he began solo career in area honky-tonks like the Texas Star Inn before switching to drums. It was during this period that he earned his stage name, when an announcer mistakenly introduced him as "Johnny Bush." As a drummer he worked for bands like the Mission City Playboys, the Texas Plainsmen and the Texas Top Hands.[2]

In 1963, Bush joined Ray Price's band, the Cherokee Cowboys along with a young Willie Nelson and Darrell McCall. His association with Price led Bush to Nashville and a contract to sing for record demos. He also played in Nelson's band, the Record Men. With Nelson's financial backing, Bush recorded his first album in 1967, The Sound of a Heartache.[1][2][3][4]

Stardom and vocal problems

A series of regional hits on the Stop label, including Marty Robbins's "You Gave Me a Mountain", "Undo the Right", "What A Way To Live" and "I'll Be There", soon followed. Rock critic Robert Christgau said that Bush's version of "You Gave Me A Mountain" "brings a catch to the throat and a tear to the eye." These songs did well in Bush's native Texas, and reached the national top twenty. In 1972 he was signed to RCA Records, whose Nashville division was helmed by legendary guitarist Chet Atkins. His first RCA single, "Whiskey River," was climbing the charts with airplay on countless radio stations when his voice began faltering. Bush even felt he was being punished by God for his sins. Bush has since said: "I thought because of my promiscuous behavior and bad choices and being raised as a Baptist, that it was a punishment from God."[1][2][3][5][6]

Bush lost half of his vocal range and was sometimes unable to talk. RCA dropped him in 1974 after three albums, he developed a drug habit, and was often stricken with performance anxiety when he was able to perform at all. After several misdiagnoses, doctors diagnosed the cause in 1978, when they discovered he had a rare neurological disorder called spasmodic dysphonia. Although this did not prevent him from recording, Bush's career began to take a downturn. He worked with a vocal coach in 1985, and was able to regain seventy percent of his original voice.[1][2][3][5]

Renaissance in Texas

In 1986, Bush teamed up with Darrell McCall, recording a successful honky-tonk album Hot Texas Country, and began assembling a large country band (as did Willie Nelson), performing around south Texas. In 1994 the band released Time Changes Everything, the same year that RCA released a greatest hits album. A major tour soon followed. Johnny Bush continues to tour regularly, often performing with Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.[1][2][3][5]

Several albums on local Texas labels soon followed. His renewed visibility made him a mentor figure to younger Texas musicians who revered the honky-tonk/hardcore country sound that Bush has done so much to keep in the public eye. Austin musicians like Dale Watson and Cornell Hurd sought him out to play on their albums. In 2003, he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame with his lifelong friend Willie Nelson on hand to induct him. In 2007 he released his autobiography, with the aide of Rick Mitchell: Whiskey River (Take My Mind): The True Story of Texas Honky-Tonk, published by University of Texas Press. A new album, Kashmere Garden Mud: A Tribute to Houston’s Country Soul was released on the Icehouse label at the same time.[1][2][3][5]

With the success of his recent Botox treatments for his vocal condition, and his successful career revival, Bush is a spokesman for people afflicted with vocal disorders. In 2002 he was honored with the Annie Glenn Award, named for the wife of the John Glenn, by the National Council of Communicative Disorders for his work in bringing attention to the condition of spasmodic dysphonia.[1][2][3][5]

Discography

Albums

Year Album US Country Label
1968 The Sound of a Heartache 38 Stop
Undo the Right 22
1969 You Gave Me a Mountain 29
1970 Johnny Bush —
1972 Bush Country —
The Best of Johnny Bush 35 Million
Here's Johnny Bush — Starday
1973 Whiskey River/There Stands The Glass 38 RCA
Here Comes The World Again —
Texas Dance Hall Girl —
1979 Johnny Bush and the Bandoleros
Live at Dance Town, U.S.A.		 — Whiskey River
1982 Live from Texas — Delta
1994 Time Changes Everything — TCE
1998 Talk to My Heart — Watermelon
2000 Lost Highway Saloon — Texas Music
Sings Bob Wills —
2001 Green Snakes —
2004 Honkytonic — BGM
2006 Texas State of Mind —
Devil's Disciple —
2007 Texas on a Saturday Night — Heart of Texas
Kashmere Gardens Mud — Icehouse

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
US Country CAN Country
1967 "You Oughta Hear Me Cry" 69 — Sound of a Heartache
1968 "What a Way to Live" 29 — Undo the Right
"Undo the Right" 10 —
1969 "Each Time" 16 — You Gave Me a Mountain
"You Gave Me a Mountain" 7 —
"My Cup Runneth Over" 26 — Bush Country
1970 "Jim, Jack, and Rose" 56 —
"I'll Go to a Stranger" flip —
"Warmth of the Wine" 25 42 The Best
"My Joy" 44 —
1971 "City Lights" 53 —
1972 "I'll Be There" 17 —
"Whiskey River" 14 7 Whiskey River/There Stands the Glass
1973 "There Stands the Glass" 34 60
"Here Comes the World Again" 38 53 Here Comes the World
"Green Snakes on the Ceiling" 53 —
1974 "We're Back in Love Again" 37 83 Greatest Hits
"Toy Telephone" 48 —
"From Tennessee to Texas" flip —
1977 "You'll Never Leave Me Completely" 78 — N/A
1978 "Put Me Out of My Memory" 99 — Whiskey River
"She Just Made Me Love You More" 89 — N/A
1979 "When My Conscience Hurts the Most" 83 — Whiskey River
1981 "Whiskey River" (re-release) 92 —

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shelburne, Craig. "Thanks to Botox, Johnny Bush Sings Again: Texas Artist Had a Hit With "Whiskey River," Then Lost His Voice". CMT News. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Johnny Bush: Biography". Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bogdanov, Vladimir; Chris Woodstra; Stephen Thomas Erlewine (2003). All Music Guide to Country: The Definitive Guide to Country Music. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. pp. 104–105. ISBN 0-87930-760-9.
  4. ↑ Malone, Bill (2002). Country Music, U.S.A. Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 290. ISBN 0-292-75262-8.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Wolff, Kurt; Orla Duane (2000). Country Music: The Rough Guide. London: Rough Guides. pp. 346–347. ISBN 1-85828-534-8.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1990). Rock Albums of the '70s: A Critical Guide. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 68. ISBN 0-306-80409-3.

Sources

External links

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