Charles Singleton (songwriter)
| Charlie "Hoss" Singleton | |
|---|---|
 August 9, 1985 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles F. Singleton |
| Born | September 17, 1913 |
| Died | December 12, 1985 (aged 72) |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter |
| Years active | 1950s – 1980s |
| Associated acts | Eddie Snyder |
Charles F. Singleton (September 17, 1913 – December 12, 1985), better known as Charlie "Hoss" Singleton, was an American songwriter, best known for having co-written the lyrics for "Strangers in the Night" and "Moon Over Naples" (later covered as "Spanish Eyes").[1][2]
Singleton wrote or co-wrote over a thousand songs. "Strangers in the Night" reached number-one on the Billboard charts for Frank Sinatra, and the Elvis Presley version of "Spanish Eyes" had sales of over three million copies.[1]
Biography
Charles Singleton attended several schools in and around Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated in 1935 from Stanton High School. He was always interested in singing and dancing, and by the time he left school he had become a proficient songwriter. He also produced shows and was responsible for several musical extravaganzas, including April Frolics, which was staged at a nightspot in LaVilla in Jacksonville.[1] In the early 1950s Singleton moved to New York City and presented his lyrics to Decca Records, who signed him up. He went on to write songs for a number of notable artists, including The Beatles, Pat Boone, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Haley, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Newton and Andy Williams.[1] With Rose Marie McCoy, Singleton wrote "Tryin' to Get to You",[3] notably recorded by Elvis Presley at Sun (1955) but first released by Washington, D.C. group The Eagles in 1954.
"Strangers in the Night" began as an instrumental called "Beddy Bye", by German bandleader and composer Bert Kaempfert, which appeared on the soundtrack of the film A Man Could Get Killed. When Frank Sinatra's producer Jimmy Bowen heard the tune, he asked Kaempfert to turn it into a song, and Kaempfert approached Singleton and American composer and songwriter Eddie Snyder for help. Singleton wrote the lyrics and Snyder adapted the music for what became "Strangers in the Night".[4] Sinatra initially called the song "a piece of shit" after the first take had to be discarded because session guitarist Glen Campbell had made a mistake.[4] But Sinatra changed his mind during the second take when he began adlibbing "dooby-dooby-doo".[4] "Strangers in the Night" reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in 1966,[5] and rejuvenated Sinatra's career.[1]
Singleton and Snyder also reworked another Kaempfert instrumental called "Moon Over Naples" into the song "Spanish Eyes", which was successfully recorded by Elvis Presley, Al Martino, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, Julio Iglesias, Faith No More, and others.[1][2][4]
Singleton, who also produced several platinum albums, died in 1985.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Charlie "Hoss" Singleton". Jacksonville Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
- 1 2 Huey, Steve. "Charlie Singleton". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
- ↑ See Talk:Tryin' to Get to You on identification of Singleton as co-writer of this song.
- 1 2 3 4 Perrone, Pierre (2011-04-06). "Eddie Snyder". The Independent. Retrieved 2012-07-12. (subscription required)
- ↑ "Strangers in the Night – Frank Sinatra". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
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