Artist info:
Also known as
Verified yes
GenreCountry, Rock & Roll
Rank−
Albums20
Songs13
AboutNot to be confused with the American expatriate and British skiffle
star of the same name, Johnny Duncan is a country-pop singer
best-known for a string of hits with producer Billy Sherrill in the
late '70s.
Born in the farm town of Dublin, TX, in 1938, Duncan learned
guitar from his mother as a child, and also had two future
performers in his family in the person of cousins Dan and
Jimmy Seals (of England Dan & John Ford Coley and Seals &
Crofts, respectively). All four family members, plus Duncan's
fiddle -playing uncle, Ben Moroney, played together in a local
dance band. Duncan took up singing in his late teens, and moved
to Clovis, NM, in 1959, where he recorded some pop-oriented
demos under producer Norman Petty.
Nothing came of them, and he spent several years working as
a DJ. He moved to Nashville in 1964 and worked odd jobs before
landing a guest spot on Ralph Emery's television show in 1966.
That led to a deal with Columbia Records, which released his debut
single "Hard Luck Joe," in 1967. Duncan had a few minor chart
entries over the next few years, including two duets with June
Stearns, but nothing that could be considered a breakout hit.
That all changed when Duncan hooked up with the famed
Nashville sound producer Billy Sherrill. Singles like 1972's
"Baby's Smile, Woman's Kiss" and 1973's Top Ten "Sweet
Country Woman" started to establish him as a hitmaker.
However, his marriage subsequently broke up, and the
distraught Duncan returned to Texas. He was talked back into
the music business for the single "Jo and the Cowboy," which
paired him with a then-unknown Janie Fricke, and the song
was successful enough that Sherrill decided to feature her on
some of Duncan's subsequent recordings. Sordid barroom
sagas like "Stranger" and "Thinkin' of a Rendezvous" made
Duncan a star, with the former becoming his first Top Five hit
and the latter his first-ever number one in 1976. 1977's "It
Couldn't Have Been Any Better" was his second chart-topper,
and his first credited duet with Fricke, "Come a Little Bit Closer,"
went Top Five the following year.
Duncan also scored two big hits of his own in 1978 with the
Top Five "Hello Mexico (And Adios Baby to You)" and the number
one "She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed (Anytime)." His last
Top Ten appearances came in 1979 with "Slow Dancing" and
"The Lady in the Blue Mercedes," after which his commercial
momentum abruptly halted. He and Columbia parted ways in
the early '80s, and he subsequently remarried and returned
to Texas. He recorded a bit for small labels during the '80s and
'90s, cutting a couple of singles in 1986.
star of the same name, Johnny Duncan is a country-pop singer
best-known for a string of hits with producer Billy Sherrill in the
late '70s.
Born in the farm town of Dublin, TX, in 1938, Duncan learned
guitar from his mother as a child, and also had two future
performers in his family in the person of cousins Dan and
Jimmy Seals (of England Dan & John Ford Coley and Seals &
Crofts, respectively). All four family members, plus Duncan's
fiddle -playing uncle, Ben Moroney, played together in a local
dance band. Duncan took up singing in his late teens, and moved
to Clovis, NM, in 1959, where he recorded some pop-oriented
demos under producer Norman Petty.
Nothing came of them, and he spent several years working as
a DJ. He moved to Nashville in 1964 and worked odd jobs before
landing a guest spot on Ralph Emery's television show in 1966.
That led to a deal with Columbia Records, which released his debut
single "Hard Luck Joe," in 1967. Duncan had a few minor chart
entries over the next few years, including two duets with June
Stearns, but nothing that could be considered a breakout hit.
That all changed when Duncan hooked up with the famed
Nashville sound producer Billy Sherrill. Singles like 1972's
"Baby's Smile, Woman's Kiss" and 1973's Top Ten "Sweet
Country Woman" started to establish him as a hitmaker.
However, his marriage subsequently broke up, and the
distraught Duncan returned to Texas. He was talked back into
the music business for the single "Jo and the Cowboy," which
paired him with a then-unknown Janie Fricke, and the song
was successful enough that Sherrill decided to feature her on
some of Duncan's subsequent recordings. Sordid barroom
sagas like "Stranger" and "Thinkin' of a Rendezvous" made
Duncan a star, with the former becoming his first Top Five hit
and the latter his first-ever number one in 1976. 1977's "It
Couldn't Have Been Any Better" was his second chart-topper,
and his first credited duet with Fricke, "Come a Little Bit Closer,"
went Top Five the following year.
Duncan also scored two big hits of his own in 1978 with the
Top Five "Hello Mexico (And Adios Baby to You)" and the number
one "She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed (Anytime)." His last
Top Ten appearances came in 1979 with "Slow Dancing" and
"The Lady in the Blue Mercedes," after which his commercial
momentum abruptly halted. He and Columbia parted ways in
the early '80s, and he subsequently remarried and returned
to Texas. He recorded a bit for small labels during the '80s and
'90s, cutting a couple of singles in 1986.
Most Popular Songs (More)
Most Popular Albums (More)
Artists you may also like
Pictures (0)
no pictures
Fans (1)
