George Hamilton IV - Interviewed by Colin Bishop
On Saturday 15th March 2008 George Hamilton IV was in concert at the Elim Church on Hayling Island and the following day he led the service at the church.
Angel Radio's Colin Bishop interviewed George before the service.
George Hamilton IV began his career in the late '50s
not as a country artist but as a teen-oriented pop star.
After his first hit, "A Rose and a Baby Ruth," hit number
six on the pop charts in 1956, he toured with Buddy
Holly and the Everly Brothers. George then moved to
the country charts where, by 1959, nine of his hits had
spent time in the Top Ten, including his number one,
"Abilene."
Though he began in pop, Hamilton's primary interest
in country music stretched back all the way to his
hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Born July 19, 1937, George Hamilton IV was raised
on the Westerns of Gene Autry and began playing
guitar at the age of 12. He formed a country band in
high school and while still a freshman at the University
of South Carolina, he met John D. Loudermilk, then a
struggling songwriter. With a contract in hand from the
Colonial label, Hamilton recorded "A Rose and a Baby Ruth,"
GEORGE AND FANS AT ELIM CHURCH
Increasingly inspired by folk music during 1965, Hamilton began recording the songs of Gordon Lightfoot; both "Steel Rail Blues" and
"Early Morning Rain" hit the
country Top 15 during 1966,
and Hamilton went on to
record more Gordon
Lightfoot songs than any
other artist. "Urge for Going"
(written Joni Mitchell) hit
number seven in 1967 and
"Break My Mind" reached
number 6 later in the year.
George Hamilton IV took country music around the world during the '70s.
Besides more than ten tours of Great Britain and several BBC-TV
productions, he hosted the Gospel Celebration and the International
Country Festival, both of which were held in England. In 1973, he organized
the longest international tour ever by a country artist, doing 73 shows over a
period of three months. One year later, Hamilton became the first country
artist to perform behind the Iron Curtain, where he lectured about country
music as well as playing shows (one Czechoslovakian concert even
featured a Czech country group backing him). Besides Europe, he toured
Africa, the Orient, New Zealand, Australia, and even the Middle East during the late '70s.
Signed to ABC-Dot in 1976, George Hamilton IV made the country charts several times during 1977-78. Since then, he has concentrated on gospel recordings for both Word and Lion & Lamb. His son, George Hamilton V, toured with his father's backup band and charted a single during 1988.
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