Vern Gosdin
Vern Gosdin (August 5, 1934 – April 28, 2009) was a traditional country sin… Read Full Bio ↴Vern Gosdin (August 5, 1934 – April 28, 2009) was a traditional country singer with a strong country voice. Some of his best material were not #1 hits.
As country music swung back toward traditional styles in the 1980s, an inheritor of the soulful honky tonk style of Lefty Frizzell and Merle Haggard rose to the top of the business and notched hit after barroom hit. Sometimes he was known simply as "the Voice." Born in Woodland, AL, Vern Gosdin idolized the Louvin Brothers and the Blue Sky Boys as a young man and sang in a gospel quartet called the Gosdin Brothers.
When he was in his late teens, his family moved to Birmingham and began hosting The Gosdin Family Gospel Show on a local radio station. Gosdin and his brother, Rex, moved to Long Beach, CA, in 1961.
They began performing bluegrass music in the milieu that gave birth to country-rock, joining a group called the Golden State Boys which evolved into The Blue Diamond Boys in 1962 when future Byrds member Chris Hillman joined them on the mandoline. Shorty after they would rename again to The Hillmen which disbanded in the summer of 1964, when Chris Hillman left to join the BYRDS. During this time the group recorded an album, which was released by Together Records in 1970 as "Don Parmley And The Five String Banjo". Vern and Rex teamed up to sing country music as the Gosdin Brothers once again, had a Top 40 country hit in 1967 with "Hangin' On," and opened for the Byrds on occasion.
Gosdin moved to Atlanta in 1972, raising a family and running a retail shop. But he never gave up on music completely. He performed at local clubs and began to gravitate toward Nashville, where Emmylou Harris, a friend of Gosdin's from his California days, was laying the foundation for a neo-traditionalist style of country music. Around 1976 Gosdin and Harris cut a demo single consisting of "Hangin' On" backed with a newly written song, "Yesterday's Gone." The demo got Gosdin signed to the Elektra label, and both songs cracked the country Top 20. In the late '70s he notched several major hits, including "Till the End" (with Janie Fricke), "Mother Country Music," and a remake of the Association's "Never My Love."
In 1980, after the demise of Elektra's country division, Gosdin quickly moved through several contracts and landed with the independent Nashville label Compleat. He made the Top Ten consistently in the early '80s, really hitting his stride when he teamed with Max D. Barnes as a songwriting collaborator. The pair specialized in songs of cheating and barroom romance, often delivering an over-the-top emotionalism that got Gosdin compared to the ultimate legend of honky tonk vocals, George Jones. In 1983, Gosdin had two Top Five hits — "If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right)" and "Way Down Deep." The following year he had his first number one single with "I Can Tell by the Way You Dance (You're Gonna Love Me Tonight)" and had two additional Top Ten hits. His career hit a lull in the mid-'80s, but in 1987, with the new traditionalist movement in full swing and Warner Bros. artist Randy Travis roosting at the top of the charts, he was tapped by the Columbia label. He bounced back into the Top Ten that year with the tortured "Do You Believe Me Now," and in 1988 he hit number one once again with the perennially popular Ernest Tubb tribute "Set 'Em Up Joe." Gosdin's "Chiseled in Stone," co-written with Barnes, won the Country Music Association's Song of the Year award in 1989. His 1989 album Alone was a rarity: a concept album in a traditional country style. It chronicled the dissolution of Gosdin's marriage. Vern's popularity is again on the rise as 2008 sees the release of his life's works on a 101 song Box Set titled 40 Years of The Voice. This living legend continues to represent pure traditional country.
As country music swung back toward traditional styles in the 1980s, an inheritor of the soulful honky tonk style of Lefty Frizzell and Merle Haggard rose to the top of the business and notched hit after barroom hit. Sometimes he was known simply as "the Voice." Born in Woodland, AL, Vern Gosdin idolized the Louvin Brothers and the Blue Sky Boys as a young man and sang in a gospel quartet called the Gosdin Brothers.
When he was in his late teens, his family moved to Birmingham and began hosting The Gosdin Family Gospel Show on a local radio station. Gosdin and his brother, Rex, moved to Long Beach, CA, in 1961.
They began performing bluegrass music in the milieu that gave birth to country-rock, joining a group called the Golden State Boys which evolved into The Blue Diamond Boys in 1962 when future Byrds member Chris Hillman joined them on the mandoline. Shorty after they would rename again to The Hillmen which disbanded in the summer of 1964, when Chris Hillman left to join the BYRDS. During this time the group recorded an album, which was released by Together Records in 1970 as "Don Parmley And The Five String Banjo". Vern and Rex teamed up to sing country music as the Gosdin Brothers once again, had a Top 40 country hit in 1967 with "Hangin' On," and opened for the Byrds on occasion.
Gosdin moved to Atlanta in 1972, raising a family and running a retail shop. But he never gave up on music completely. He performed at local clubs and began to gravitate toward Nashville, where Emmylou Harris, a friend of Gosdin's from his California days, was laying the foundation for a neo-traditionalist style of country music. Around 1976 Gosdin and Harris cut a demo single consisting of "Hangin' On" backed with a newly written song, "Yesterday's Gone." The demo got Gosdin signed to the Elektra label, and both songs cracked the country Top 20. In the late '70s he notched several major hits, including "Till the End" (with Janie Fricke), "Mother Country Music," and a remake of the Association's "Never My Love."
In 1980, after the demise of Elektra's country division, Gosdin quickly moved through several contracts and landed with the independent Nashville label Compleat. He made the Top Ten consistently in the early '80s, really hitting his stride when he teamed with Max D. Barnes as a songwriting collaborator. The pair specialized in songs of cheating and barroom romance, often delivering an over-the-top emotionalism that got Gosdin compared to the ultimate legend of honky tonk vocals, George Jones. In 1983, Gosdin had two Top Five hits — "If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right)" and "Way Down Deep." The following year he had his first number one single with "I Can Tell by the Way You Dance (You're Gonna Love Me Tonight)" and had two additional Top Ten hits. His career hit a lull in the mid-'80s, but in 1987, with the new traditionalist movement in full swing and Warner Bros. artist Randy Travis roosting at the top of the charts, he was tapped by the Columbia label. He bounced back into the Top Ten that year with the tortured "Do You Believe Me Now," and in 1988 he hit number one once again with the perennially popular Ernest Tubb tribute "Set 'Em Up Joe." Gosdin's "Chiseled in Stone," co-written with Barnes, won the Country Music Association's Song of the Year award in 1989. His 1989 album Alone was a rarity: a concept album in a traditional country style. It chronicled the dissolution of Gosdin's marriage. Vern's popularity is again on the rise as 2008 sees the release of his life's works on a 101 song Box Set titled 40 Years of The Voice. This living legend continues to represent pure traditional country.
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Vern Gosdin Lyrics
'Til The End If I never see your loving face again I'll go on…
1989 #2 Who You Gonna Blame It on This Time Oh, you say that it wasn't your fault The reason that…
A Month Of Sundays There must be about 100 parties and I hit everyone…
A picture of me Imagine a world where no music was playing And think of…
All I Want And Need Forever All I want and need forever Is you and me together Lady…
Alone Alone at a table for two, alone waiting for you I…
Anita You're Dreaming Anita come closer, stop crying and listen to me I guess…
Answers To My Questions You tell me you stay out late cause you need…
Any Old Miracle It's late, and I sure do hate to bother you But…
Baby that's cold You said, "sit down here and listen There′s something that i…
Back in the swing of things Well I was really feeling down I′d really been uptight About…
Back When Don't you remember The fizz in a pepper Peanuts in a bottle …
Break My Mind Baby oh baby Tell the man at the ticket stand that…
Bury Me in a Jukebox I've been hanging in here every night Since you've been gone…
Catch The Wind In the chilly hours and minutes Of uncertainty I wanna be In…
Chiseled In Stone You ran cryin' to the bedroom I ran off to the…
Dim Lights Thick Smoke Chorus: Dim lights, thick smoke and loud, loud music Is the …
Dixie's on my mind Baby oh baby Tell the man at the ticket stand that…
Do Me a Favor Don't you think you should have called To tell me…
Dream of me My life on the road has always been hard on…
For a minute there Thought that you and I were forever Until tonight I never…
Friday Night Feelin' Like so many times before Her voice still echoes down the…
Hangin' On It's true you have me twisted around your finger It…
Heartbreak Hall of Pain I'm Laying in silence I'm wishing for death These …
I Can Tell By The Way You Dance I can see, everytime I look into your eyes You don't…
I Feel Love Closin' In I feel so close to you right now, it's a…
I fell off of the wagon I hadn't had a drop of nothing since I got…
I Guess I Had Your Leavin Coming I broke your heart, I made you cry Didn't raise a…
I Know the Way to You by Heart As a boy I believed it was best just to…
I Sure Can Love You I can see, everytime I look into your eyes You don't…
I Wonder Where We'd Be Tonight Time is sure passin' slow Lord, it's only half past ten One…
I'll Fly Away Some glad morning when this life is over I'll fly away To…
I'll Try I am not a child now I can take care of…
I'll understand How can you be too blind, to read between the…
I'm Still Crazy Well, I woke up one morning With a note up on…
I'm where a memory can die I bet you think you're drivin' me a drinkin' But I…
If Jesus Comes Tomorrow If Jesus comes tomorrow to spend some time with you Would…
If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong There's a closet full of dresses that I bought you And…
Impossible Dream To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To…
Impossible mile Jesus was his name Love was his game Every word he spoke Was…
Is It Raining At Your House Is it raining at your house like it's raining at…
It Started All Over Again We agreed it was over we'd both find another We shook…
It's Not Over On the bed, lies your pillow It's been there since you've…
It's Only Love Again I think I met my match again Passing 'round the candlelight …
Its not over On the bed, lies your pillow It's been there since you've…
Jesus hold my hand V1 As I travel through this pilgrim land There is a friend…
Jesus, Don't Turn Me Away I took the wrong turn a long time ago The devil…
Jesus, Hold My Hand V1 As I travel through this pilgrim land There is a friend,…
Just enough to keep me lovin you It's true, you got me wrapped around your finger Ah honey,…
Let's don't and say we did My batteries must be dying Because you sound so different Wh…
Living in the Love Two young people without a thing Say some vows and spread…
Love Is Like an Echo Honey you been sayin' I don't love you anymore That I'm not…
Love is underneath for us to find Everyday, I look around Seems that no ones′s satisfied Could…
Love Me I can see, everytime I look into your eyes You don't…
Love rolled away the stone He lay there in the darkness all alone and lost All…
Loving You Is Music to My Mind When the words have all been said And the songs have…
My Baby Sings the Blues She could dance and she could sing She left Texas with…
My Heart Is in Good Hands I believe in a special bond between two friends, and…
Never My Love You ask me if there'll come a time When I grow…
Nickels and Dime and Love Remember when pocket change was all we had And all those…
Out of Our Minds We said our goodbye long ago Never thinking we'd miss each…
Praying They were prayin Prayin for someone like me Not long ago, …
Rainbows and Roses You? re as warm as you are pretty And you feel…
Right In The Wrong Direction Well, your office called to say you wouldn't be long. Since…
Rodeo Princess We pull into town, try to find the fairgrounds Park this…
Set "Em Up Joe They got a vintage Victrola 1951 Full of my favorite records…
Slow Burnin Memory You taught me how to love you Now you expect…
Slow burning memory You taught me how to love you now you expect…
Someone I Can Turn To There must be someone I can turn to Someone like me,…
Take Me Home To Alabama Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma and Pa Not the way…
Tanqueray Once again, I slip back in the gin and settle…
Tennessee Courage When they're at the bar, I'll be there on the…
That Just About Does It Every night you go to bed crying There's nothing left to…
The Bridge I'm Still Building On You speak my name and shudder, but I'm still here. I…
The Chokin' Kind I only meant to love you don't you know it…
The First Time Ever The first time ever I saw your face I thought the…
The Garden She planted roses the first year we married It soon was…
The Number I was pourin' my heart out, to a stranger at…
The Other Side of Life Praise God I feel like singing I'm on the other side…
The Rock I'm Leaning On When I wake up in the morning You're the first…
The Sounds of Goodbye Everyface i see Is cold as ice Everything i touch is pale Ev…
There Ain We still share the same old bed We still lay there…
There Is A Season To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, tu…
This Ain't My First My Rodeo You say you're mama called and you must go She's…
Tight As Twin Fiddles I grew up on western swing Bob Wills had me hooked…
Til The End If I never see your loving face again I'll go on…
Till I'm Over Gettin' Over You Hey, I'm in love And the sunlight on your face It's a…
Till The End If I never see your loving face again I'll go…
Tilthe End If I never see your loving face again I'll go on…
Time Stood Still You made my world go round But now its upside down Time…
Today My World Slipped Away We made it final today I gave you all I had,…
Too Long Gone As I turned in the driveway you turned on the…
Try and catch the wind In the chilly hours and minutes Of uncertainty I wanna be In…
Turn turn turn To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, tu…
Was It Just The Wine Yeah, we laughed and talk and joke a while Yeah, we…
Way Down Deep This highway of heartache is rocky and rough Lord, I learned…
We must have been out of our minds We said our goodbye long ago Never thinking we'd miss each…
What Would Your Memories Do What would your memories do If they didn't have my mind…
Where the Tail Grass Grows Six lanes tail lights Red ants marchin' into the night They …
Who Are You Gonna Blame It On This Time You'd think by now you would have Used up all your…
Who You Gonna Blame It On This Time Oh, you say that it wasn't your fault The reason that…
Wings of faith We′re flying on the wings of faith We're flying on the…
Woman Sensuous Woman Woman, sensuous woman You control the world I'm living in Wo…
Would these arms be in your way Would you like to hear I love you all the time And…
Yesterday's Gone I put away the groceries And I take my daily bread I…
You Never Cross My Mind I lay there every night, where you love me I'm use…
YOU'RE NOT BY YOURSELF You're leaving without a reason At least a reason you just…
You've Got somebody I've Got Somebody Friday night after the show hotel Rooms are gettin’ small Fe…
Your Bedroom Eyes Come on baby, what′s on your mind? You're stumbling in the…