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,"

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 AND FANS AT ELIM CHURCH

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.