Vernon Oxford
Vernon Oxford in 1968
Vernon Oxford in 1968
Background information
Born(1941-06-08)June 8, 1941
Rogers, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedAugust 18, 2023(2023-08-18) (aged 82)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Fiddle, guitar
Years active1966–1982
LabelsRCA, Meteor, Rounder

Vernon Oxford (June 8, 1941 – August 18, 2023)[1] was an American country music singer and guitarist.

Biography

He was born in Rogers, Arkansas, United States.[1] Oxford was raised in Wichita, Kansas, United States, where his father played old-time fiddle.[1] He began playing professionally in Utah in 1960, mostly playing in the Kansas area in the early 1960s, then relocated to Nashville in 1964.[1] In 1965, he met Harlan Howard, who got him signed to RCA Victor and helped him find material to record.[1] He then released seven singles and one LP, Woman Let Me Sing You a Song; none of them charted, and he was soon dropped from RCA.[1]

His career saw a resurgence in Britain, where he was first rediscovered in the middle of the 1970s.[1] A best-of was issued there in 1974, and RCA signed him again to tour there.[1] His hit singles "Shadows of My Mind", "Redneck (The Redneck National Anthem)", and "A Good Old Fashioned Saturday Night Honky Tonk Barroom Brawl" (U.S. Country No. 55, 1977) reinvigorated his career in America; in Britain, he was well known for "I've Got to Get Peter Off Your Mind" and "Field of Flowers".[1] He also recorded a comedy duet with Jim Ed Brown, "Mowing The Lawn".[2] After a break of several years, he began a career as a gospel singer in 1981.[1]

Recording career

Mostly as an independent artist, Oxford continued to record new material. Oxford's classic recordings have been reissued by numerous labels, including a comprehensive box set from Bear Family Records, and some compilations from Westside UK and the Morello label, which is a division of UK-based Cherry Red Records.

Acting career

As an actor, Oxford appeared in several films including The Thing Called Love starring River Phoenix,[3] and Coal Miner's Daughter, a 1980 film about American singer Loretta Lynn, who was portrayed by actress Sissy Spacek.[4]

Discography

Albums

Year Album Label
1966 Woman, Let Me Sing You a Song RCA
1975 By Public Demand
1977 I Just Want to Be a Country Singer
1978 A Tribute to Hank Williams Meteor
Nobody's Child
1979 If I Had My Wife to Love Over Rounder
1980 His and Hers
1981 A Better Way of Life
1982 Keepin' It Country

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
US Country CAN Country
1974 "How High Does Cotton Grow" single only
1975 "I Wish You Would Leave Me Alone" By Public Demand
"Giving the Pill" I Just Want to Be a Country Singer
"Shadows of My Mind" 54 38
1976 "Your Wanting Me Is Gone" 83
"Redneck! (The Redneck National Anthem)" 17
"Clean Your Own Tables" 60
1977 "A Good Old Fashioned Saturday Night Honky Tonk Barroom Brawl" 55 singles only
"Only the Shadows Know" 87
"Redneck Roots" 95
1981 "His and Hers" His and Hers
"They'll Never Take Her Love from Me"

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Vernon Oxford | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  2. Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 305. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
  3. "The Thing Called Love". 25thframe.co.uk. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  4. "Welcome on notreCinema". En.notrecinema.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
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