Webb Pierce - WikiHQ

Michael Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991) was an American country music vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist of the 1950s, one of the most popular of the genre, charting more number-one hits than any other country and western performer during the decade.

His biggest hit was the honky-tonk-rooted "In the Jailhouse Now", which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one. Pierce also charted number one for several weeks each with his recordings of "Slowly" (1954), "Love, Love, Love" (1955), "I Don't Care" (1955), "There Stands the Glass" (1953), "More and More" (1954), "I Ain't Never" (1959), and his first number one, "Wondering", which stayed at the top spot for four of its 27 weeks' charting in 1952.

For many, Pierce, with his flamboyant Nudie suits and twin silver dollar-lined convertibles, became the most recognizable face of country music of the era and its excesses. Pierce was a one-time member of the Grand Ole Opry and was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. A tribute album in his honor (produced by singer-songwriter Gail Davies) was released in 2001 entitled Caught in the Webb – A Tribute to Country Legend Webb Pierce.

Biography

Pierce was born in West Monroe, Louisiana. and devised a plan to achieve instant "stardom". Before the show, he bought tickets for several young girls in line and asked them to sit in the first row, and after each of his songs, to scream and beg for more. It worked; their enthusiasm spread throughout the audience.

Pierce assembled and performed with a band of local Shreveport musicians, including pianist Floyd Cramer, guitarist-vocalist Faron Young, bassist Tillman Franks, and vocalists Teddy and Doyle Wilburn. He also founded a record label, Pacemaker, and Ark-La-Tex Music, a publishing company, with Horace Logan, the director of the Hayride. On Pacemaker, Pierce made several records between 1950 and 1951 designed to attract radio play around Louisiana. and "In the Jailhouse Now" (1955). His singles spent 113 weeks at number one during the 1950s, when he charted 48 singles. Thirty-nine reached the top 10, 26 reached the top four, and 13 hit number one.

His other hits included "Back Street Affair", "Why Baby Why", "Oh, So Many Years", and "Finally"; the latter two were duets with Kitty Wells.

Pierce continued charting until 1982, with a total of 96 hits, and he toured extensively and appeared in the films Buffalo Gun, Music City USA, Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar, and The Road to Nashville

! width="45"|CAN Country

|1951

|"Wondering"

|align="center"|1

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|rowspan=2|1952

|"That Heart Belongs to Me"

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|"Back Street Affair"

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|rowspan=8|1953

|"I'll Go On Alone"

|align="center"|4

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|"That's Me Without You"

|align="center"|4

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|"The Last Waltz"

|align="center"|4

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|"I Haven't Got the Heart"

|align="center"|5

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|"It's Been So Long"

|align="center"|1

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|"Don't Throw Your Life Away"

|align="center"|9

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|"There Stands the Glass"

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|"I'm Walking the Dog"

|align="center"|3

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|rowspan=5|1954

|"Slowly"

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|"Even Tho"

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|"Sparkling Brown Eyes" (w/ The Wilburn Brothers)

|align="center"|4

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|"More and More"

|align="center"|1

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|align="center"|22

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|"You're Not Mine Anymore"

|align="center"|4

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|rowspan=6|1955

|"In the Jailhouse Now"

|align="center"|1

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|"I'm Gonna Fall Out of Love with You"

|align="center"|10

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|"I Don't Care"

|align="center"|1

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|"Your Good for Nothing Heart"

|align="center"|flip

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|"Love, Love, Love"

|align="center"|1

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|"If You Were Me"

|align="center"|7

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|rowspan=8|1956

|"Why Baby Why" (w/ Red Sovine)

|align="center"|1

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|"Yes I Know Why"

|align="center"|2

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|"'Cause I Love You"

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|"Little Rosa" (w/ Red Sovine)

|align="center"|5

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|"Any Old Time"

|align="center"|7

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|"We'll Find a Way"

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|"Teenage Boogie"

|align="center"|10

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|"I'm Really Glad You Hurt Me"

|align="center"|flip

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|rowspan=9|1957

|"I'm Tired"

|align="center"|3

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|"It's My Way"

|align="center"|flip

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|"Honky Tonk Song"

|align="center"|1

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|"Oh So Many Years" (w/ Kitty Wells)

|align="center"|8

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|"Someday"

|align="center"|12

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|"Bye Bye Love"

|align="center"|7

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|align="center"|73

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|"Missing You"

|align="center"|7

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|"Holiday for Love"

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|18

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|"Don't Do It Darlin'"

|align="center"|12

|align="center"|

|rowspan=5|1958

|"One Week Later" (w/ Kitty Wells)

|align="center"|12

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|"Cryin' Over You"

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|7

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|"You'll Come Back"

|align="center"|10

|align="center"|33

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|"Falling Back to You"

|align="center"|10

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|"Tupelo County Jail"

|align="center"|7

|align="center"|6

|align="center"|

|rowspan=6|1959

|"I'm Letting You Go"

|align="center"|22

|align="center"|31

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|"Sittin' Alone"

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|align="center"|34

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|"A Thousand Miles Ago"

|align="center"|6

|align="center"|3

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|"What Goes On In Your Heart"

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|align="center"|49

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|"I Ain't Never"

|align="center"|2

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|25

|align="center"|24

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|"Shanghied"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|17

|align="center"|

|rowspan=6|1960

|"No Love Have I"

|align="center"|4

|align="center"|60

|align="center"|54

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|"(Doin' the) Lovers Leap"

|align="center"|17

|align="center"|9

|align="center"|tag

|align="center"|93

|align="center"|

|"Is It Wrong (For Loving You)"

|align="center"|11

|align="center"|15

|align="center"|117

|align="center"|69

|align="center"|

|"Drifting Texas Sand"

|align="center"|11

|align="center"|9

|align="center"|

|align="center"|108

|align="center"|

|"All I Need Is You"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|29

|align="center"|

|"Fallen Angel"

|align="center"|4

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|

|align="center"|99

|align="center"|

|rowspan=6|1961

|"Let Forgiveness In"

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|

|"There's More Pretty Girls Than One"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|44

|align="center"|

|align="center"|118

|align="center"|

|"Sweet Lips"

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|2

|align="center"|

|"Last Night"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|32

|align="center"|

|"Walking the Streets"

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|

|"How Do You Talk to a Baby"

|align="center"|7

|align="center"|6

|align="center"|

|rowspan=6|1962

|"Alla My Love"

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|

|"You Are My Life"

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|align="center"|15

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|"Crazy Wild Desire"

|align="center"|8

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|

|"Take Time"

|align="center"|7

|align="center"|6

|align="center"|

|"Cow Town"

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|3

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|"Sooner or Later"

|align="center"|19

|align="center"|11

|align="center"|

|rowspan=7|1963

|"How Come Your Dog Don't Bite Nobody But Me" (w/ Mel Tillis)

|align="center"|25

|align="center"|12

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|"Sawmill"

|align="center"|15

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|

|"If I Could Come Back"

|align="center"|21

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|

|"Sands of Gold"

|align="center"|7

|align="center"|4

|align="center"|117

|align="center"|118

|align="center"|

|"Nobody's Darlin' But Mine"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|5

|align="center"|147

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|"If the Back Door Could Talk"

|align="center"|13

|align="center"|7

|align="center"|

|"Those Wonderful Years"

|align="center"|9

|align="center"|8

|align="center"|

|rowspan=5|1964

|"Waiting a Lifetime"

|align="center"|25

|align="center"|28

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|"Memory No. 1"

|align="center"|2

|align="center"|1

|align="center"|

|"French Riviera"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|29

|align="center"|

|align="center"|126

|align="center"|

|"Finally" (w/ Kitty Wells)

|align="center"|9

|align="center"|7

|align="center"|

|align="center"|2

|"He Made You For Me" (w/ Kitty Wells)

|align="center"|

|align="center"|44

|align="center"|

|rowspan=6|1965

|"That's Where My Money Goes"

|align="center"|26

|align="center"|11

|align="center"|

|"Broken Engagement"

|align="center"|46

|align="center"|40

|align="center"|

|"Loving You Then Losing You"

|align="center"|22

|align="center"|32

|align="center"|

|"Who Do I Think I Am"

|align="center"|13

|align="center"|28

|align="center"|

|"Hobo and the Rose"

|align="center"|50

|align="center"|25

|align="center"|

|"Sweet Memories"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|13

|align="center"|

|rowspan=4|1966

|"You Ain't No Better Than Me"

|align="center"|46

|align="center"|55

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|"Love's Something (I Can't Understand)"

|align="center"|25

|align="center"|31

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|"A Loner"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|60

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|"Where'd Ya Stay Last Night"

|align="center"|14

|align="center"|

|rowspan=2|1967

|"Goodbye City, Goodbye Girl"

|align="center"|39

|align="center"|40

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|"Fool Fool Fool"

|align="center"|6

|align="center"|3

|align="center"|

|align="center"|5

|rowspan=4|1968

|"Luzianna"

|align="center"|24

|align="center"|19

|align="center"|

|align="center"|7

|"Stranger in a Strange, Strange City"

|align="center"|26

|align="center"|31

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|"In Another World"

|align="center"|74

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|"Saturday Night"

|align="center"|22

|align="center"|25

|align="center"|

|align="center"|25

|rowspan=3|1969

|"If I Had Last Night to Live Over"

|align="center"|32

|align="center"|20

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|"This Thing"

|align="center"|14

|align="center"|17

|align="center"|

|align="center"|17

|"Love Ain't Gonna Be No Better"

|align="center"|38

|align="center"|52

|align="center"|

|rowspan=2|1970

|"Merry-Go-Round World"

|align="center"|71

|align="center"|65

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|"The Man You Want Me to Be"

|align="center"|56

|align="center"|36

|align="center"|

|rowspan=3|1971

|"Showing His Dollar"

|align="center"|73

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|"Tell Him That You Love Him"

|align="center"|31

|align="center"|21

|align="center"|

|"Someone Stepped In (And Stole Me Blind)"

|align="center"|73

|align="center"|62

|align="center"|

|rowspan=2|1972

|"Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful"

|align="center"|

|align="center"|21

|"I'm Gonna Be a Swinger"

|align="center"|54

|align="center"|65

|align="center"|

|1975

|"The Good Lord Giveth (And Uncle Sam Taketh Away)"

|align="center"|57

|align="center"|32

|align="center"|

|1976

|"I've Got Leaving on My Mind"

|align="center"|82

|align="center"|59

|align="center"|

|align="center"|41

|1982

|"In the Jailhouse Now" (w/ Willie Nelson)

|align="center"|72

|align="center"|54

|align="center"|

Guest singles

{| class="wikitable"

! Year

! Single

! Artist

! US Country

| 1985

| "One Big Family"

| Heart of Nashville

| align="center"| 61

References

External links

Webb Pierce recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.