Chanteur Rock 'n' Roll US né le 17 Août 1929 à Gulfport (Mississippi). Jimmy Donley est décédé le 20 Mars 1963. Il a aussi utilisé le nom de Kenny James.

Jimmy Donley was, to quote one of his own songs, born to be a loser. It wasn’t that this natural singer and songwriter tried to mess up his life on every conceivable level — he was born into it and that was that. His father was a racist, abusive alcoholic and Donley had his own mean-spirited demons that surfaced as early as three years old when he attempted to shoot his cousin for refusing to get off Donley’s tricycle. Things only got worse. Even an early stint in the Army failed to give Donley the self-discipline he so desperately needed, and he was discharged as unmanageable and unfit for duty. Married four times, Donley (who could be charming when it suited him — it just seldom suited him) beat and abused all of his wives, and his constant fighting and uncontrollable anger landed him in jail numerous times.
Ah, but he could sing, and he could write songs, and his recorded legacy from the 1950s and very early '60s for Decca Records, Johnny Vincent's Ace Records, and Huey Meaux’s Tear Drop Records is a priceless treasure trove of swamp pop country rockabilly. Donley sang with a sometimes untranslatable diction, but the sheer pain and loneliness in his voice, particularly on his frequent and poignant love ballads, seemed to provide him with his only real shot at personal redemption. But Donley was as bad at the financial end of the business as he was at controlling his temper, and although his songs were covered and became hits by the likes of Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, Donley had long since sold the rights to the songs for up-front pocket change. He eventually signed over the rights to all of his songs — past, present, and future — to a con man calling himself Reverend J. Charles Jessup (later convicted of mail fraud) for what was probably no more than a weekend’s worth of beer money.
Donley's 34 years of pain, anger, and misery finally ended in March 20,1963 when he committed suicide. The story could just end there, but Donley had very real talent as a singer and writer, and his Decca recordings in particular (tracked between 1957 and 1961) were smoothly and professionally done — Owen Bradley produced them and used the best session musicians, including saxophonist Boots Randolph and guitarist Hank Garland, as well as the seemingly omnipresent Anita Kerr Singers. Donley songs like “Kickin’ My Hound Around,” the prescient “Born to Be a Loser,” the beautiful ballad “What Must I Do,” and Donley’s haunting signature tune, “The Shape You Left Me,” show an artist of uncommon clarity and vision. None of that clarity and vision trickled out into Donley’s personal life, however, and his story would be a cautionary tale if it hadn’t simply started out bad and then just went downhill from there. There wasn't much of an arc to it, really. It would appear that the only decision Donley ever made that made sense was to play and make music. He did that well. It was his only redemption.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Donley

Talents : Vocals

Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll, Swamp Pop

COME ALONG (1957) (Jimmy Donley)

BABY HOW LONG (1958) (Jimmy Donley)

BORN TO BE A LOSER (1958) (Jimmy Donley)

Please Mr. Sandman (1962) (Kenny James)

LOVE BUG (1965) (Jimmy Donley)

Years in activity :

1910 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20

DISCOGRAPHY

Singles

05/1957 SP DECCA 9-30308 (US) Come Along / Kickin' My Hound Around
07/1957 SP DECCA 9-30392 (US) Trail Of The Lonesome Pine / South Of The Border
01/1958 SP DECCA 9-30519 (US) I Gotta Go / Baby How Long
04/1958 SP DECCA 9-30574 (US) Jimmy DONLEY with The Anita KERR SINGERS - Please Baby Come Home / Born To Be A Loser
09/1958 SP DECCA 9-30738 (US) Radio, Jukebox And T.V. / I'm Alone
04/1959 SP DECCA 9-30887 (US) The Shape You Left Me In / What Must I Do
11/1959 SP DECCA 9-31005 (US) Now I Know / I Can't Love You (Like You Want Me To Do)
06/1960 SP DECCA 9-31116 (US) Our Love / My Baby's Gone
10/1962 SP TEAR DROP 3002 (US) Kenny JAMES - Please Mr. Sandman / A Woman's Gonna Have Her Way
10/1962 SP TEAR DROP 3005 (US) Honey Stop Twistin' / Hello! Remember Me
11/1962 SP TEAR DROP 3007 (US) Think It Over / Santa! Don't Pass Me By
11/1962 SP TEAR DROP 3007 (US) Think It Over / Forever Lillie Mae
12/1962 SP CHESS 1843 (US) Think It Over / Santa! Don't Pass Me By
12/1962 SP TEAR DROP 3009 (US) Lovin' Cajun Style / Baby Heaven Sent Me You
08/1963 SP TEAR DROP 3017 (US) You're Why I'm Lonely / Let Me Told You
10/1963 SP TEAR DROP 3021 (US) Santa Please Don't Pass Me By / Santa's Alley
01/1964 SP TEAR DROP 3026 (US) I Really Got The Blues / Just A Game
06/1964 SP TEAR DROP 3034 (US) I'm Lonesome Without The Blues / Forget The Past
1965 SP TEAR DROP 3051 (US) Love Bug / I'm To Blame
1966 SP TEAR DROP 3119 (US) My Forbidden Love / Strange, Strange Feeling
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9001 (US) Think It Over / Santa! Please Don't Pass Me By
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9002 (US) Forever Lillie Mae / I Still Care
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9003 (US) I'm To Blame / Love Bug
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9004 (US) I Really Got The Blues / Just A Game
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9005 (US) Let Me Hold You / You're Why I'm So Lonely
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9006 (US) Baby! Heaven Sent Me You / Door To My Heart
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9007 (US) Hello! Remember Me / A Woman's Gonna Have Her Way
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9008 (US) Honey Stop Twistin' / Please Mr. Sandman
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9009 (US) Baby Ain't That Love / Lovin' Cajun Style
1966 SP CRAZY CAJUN 9010 (US) Born To Be A Loser / Now I Know
1983 SP AMERICAN PLA-BOY AP-1983 (US)

You're Lonely Too / Hello, Remember Me






Unissued Tracks

1957 DECCA unissued - (Bear Family CD 16534 (#2)) Child Love [vers. 1]
1957 DECCA unissued - (Bear Family CD 16534 (#21) / Charly LP 30265 (#15)) Child Love [vers. 2]
1958 DECCA unissued - (Bear Family CD 16534 (#25)) I'm Alone [alt. vers.]
1958 DECCA unissued - (Bear Family CD 16534 (#23)) Radio, Jukebox And T.V. [alt. vers.]
1959 DECCA unissued - (Bear Family CD 16534 (#10)) Arleeta [vers. 1]
1959 DECCA unissued - (Bear Family CD 16534 (#22)) Arleeta [vers. 2]
1959 DECCA unissued - (Bear Family CD 16534 (#12) / Charly LP 30265 (#10)) Give Me My Freedom
1960 DECCA unissued - (Bear Family CD 16534 (#16)) I've Been There
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#4)) Ain't Nobody's Business [vers. 1]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#21)) Ain't Nobody's Business [vers. 2]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#24)) Baby Ain't That Love [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Norton CD 597 (#22)) Domino Twist
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#44)) The Domino Twist (Dance With Mr. Domino)
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#48)) Don't Fall In Love
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#12)) Don't Tell Me
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#49)) Don't You Know
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#32)) Forever Lillie Mae [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#13)) Four Dried Beans [vers. 1]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#20)) Four Dried Beans [vers. 2]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#1)) Gonna Make My Home Where I Hang My Hat
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#15)) The Hip Hop
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#29)) Honey Stop Twistin' [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#6)) Hurt Hurt Hurt [vers. 1]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#17)) Hurt Hurt Hurt [vers. 2]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#50)) I Need You
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#36)) I Really Got The Blues [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#25) / Ace CD 1324 (#51)) I Still Care [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#56)) I'll Keep On Movin'
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Norton CD 597 (#14)) I'm Lonesome Without The Blues
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#21)) I'm Lonesome Without The Blues [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#22)) I'm To Blame [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#5)) I've Gotta Go Home
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#52)) If I Knew You Didn't Know Better
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#42)) If That's The Way You Want It
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#55)) It's Time To Say Goodbye
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#46)) It's You I'm Missing AKA But What Can I Do
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#9)) Johnny Ace Medley [vers. 1]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#18)) Johnny Ace Medley [vers. 2]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#35)) Just A Game [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#34)) Let Me Told You [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#43)) Little Cajun
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#11)) Little Coquette
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#23)) Love Bug [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#33)) Loving Cajun Style [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#40)) Mathilda
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#27)) Message To Huey - A Woman's Gotta Have Her Way [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Norton CD 597 (#25)) Oh How It Hurts
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#47)) Our Last Goodbye
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#28)) Please Mr. Sandman [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#41) / Norton CD 597 (#20)) Rockin' Bicycle
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#45)) Rose Mary
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#30)) Santa! Don't Pass Me By [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#8)) Slow Walk You Down
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#7)) Somethin' You Got
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#39)) Spare Me The Details
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#2)) Stealing [vers. 1]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#16)) Stealing [vers. 2]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#38) / Norton CD 597 (#23)) Stop The Clock
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#31)) Think It Over [alt. vers.]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#10)) Tribute To Sam Cooke [vers. 1]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#19)) Tribute To Sam Cooke [vers. 2]
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#26) / Ace CD 1324 (#53) / Norton CD 597 (#24)) Two Sides To The Story Of Love
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#14)) Wake Up Little Susie
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#37) / Norton CD 597 (#21)) What A Price
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Edsel CD 597 (#3)) Workin' Man's Blues
1962-63 TEAR DROP unissued - (Ace CD 1324 (#54)) You're Lonely Too

Albums

197? LP 12" STARFLITE LP 2002 (US) MEMORIAL TO THE UNFORGETTABLE JIMMY DONLEY - Born To Be A Loser / Hello! Remember Me / Forever Lillie Mae / Santa Please Don't Pass Me By / Please Mr. Sandman / Baby Ain't That Love / Think It Over / That's The Way It's Gonna Be / I'm To Blame / Loving Cajun Style / You're Why I'm So Lonely / Forget The Past
1985 LP 12" CHARLY 30265 (UK) GIVE ME MY FREEDOM - Kickin' My Hound Around / Come Along / Radio Juke Box And TV / Please Come Home / Now I Know / I Can't Love You / My Baby's Gone / Shape You Left Me In / Born To Be A Loser / Give Me My Freedom / Baby How Long / I'm Alone / What Must I Do / Our Love / Child Love
02/1999 CD EDSEL 597 (UK) BORN TO BE A LOSER - Mr. Sandman / A Woman's Gonna Have Her Way / Hello Remember Me / Honey Stop Twistin' / Think It Over / Forever Lillie Mae / Loving Cajun Style / Baby, Heaven Sent Me You / Let Me Told You / You're Why I'm So Lonely / Santa! Don't Pass Me By / I Really Got The Blues / Just A Game / I'm Lonesome Without The Blues / Forget The Past / I'm To Blame / Love Bug / My Forbidden Love / Strange, Strange Feeling / Rockin' Bicycle / What A Price / Domino Twist / Stop The Clock / Two Sides To The Story Of Love / Oh How It Hurts / Born To Be A Loser
03/2010 CD BEAR FAMILY BCD 16534 (GER) THE SHAPE YOU LEFT ME IN -  Come Along / Child Love / Kickin' My Hound Around / Baby How Long / Please Baby Come Home  Born To Be A Loser / Radio, Jukebox, And T.V. / I'm Alone / The Shape You Left Me In / Arleeta / What Must I Do / Give Me My Freedom / Now I Know / I Can't Love You Like You Want Me To Do / Our Love / I've Been There / My Baby's Gone / I Gotta Go / South Of The Border / The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine / Child Love / Arleeta / Radio, Jukebox, And T.V. / I'm Alone [version] / I'm Alone [version]
11/2011 2 CD ACE CDTOP2 1324 (UK) IN THE KEY OF HEARTBREAK - THE COMPLETE TEAR DROP SINGLES AND MORE :
CD 1 : A Woman's Gotta Have Her Way / Please Mr. Sandman / Honey Stop Twistin' / Hello Remember Me / Think It Over / Forever Lillie Mae / Santa! Don't Pass Me By / Baby, Heaven Sent Me You / Loving Cajun Style / You're Why I'm So Lonely / Let Me Told You / Just A Game / I Really Got The Blues / Forget The Past / I'm Lonesome Without The Blues / I'm To Blame / Love Bug / Strange, Strange Feeling / My Forbidden Love / Santa's Alley / Forget The Past / I'm Lonesome Without The Blues / I'm To Blame / Love Bug / I Still Care / Two Sides To The Story Of Love
CD 2 : Message to Huey - A Woman's Gotta Have Her Way (featuring Pee Wee MADDUX) / Santa! Don't Pass Me By / Loving Cajun Style / Let Me Told You / Just A Game / I Really Got The Blues / What A Price / Stop The Clock / Spare Me The Details / Mathilda / Rockin' Bicycle / If That's The Way You Want It / Little Cajun / The Domino Twist / Rose Mary / It's You I'm Missing / Our Last Goodbye / Don't Fall In Love / Don't You Know I Love You / I Need You / If I Knew You Didn't Know Better / Two Sides To The Story Of Love / You're Lonely Too / It's Time To Say Goodbye / I'll Keep On Movin'

© Rocky Productions 14/04/2013