[edit] Childhood & teen years
Charlotte Denise McClain… Read Full Bio ↴Early life
[edit] Childhood & teen years
Charlotte Denise McClain was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1956. Originally named Charlotte, "Charly" was given her masculine moniker by neighborhood friends in Memphis, and she also used it when she started playing hotel lounges. When Epic Records decided it sounded catchier than Charlotte, it became a permanent professional banner. [1] McClain's father had tuberculosis when she was eight, and, since she was under age for visitation rights at the hospital, she had to communicate with him through a tape recorder. [2]
[edit] Career discovery
McClain's use of the tape recorder with her father inspired her interest in singing. McClain soon began performing in public regularly. She began singing in the club circuit by the time she was seventeen. She then gained a recording contract with Epic Records by the time McClain was almost twenty years old. She began her musical career at age 12 with her brother in a band called "Charlotte & The Volunteers" for 6 years. Her first appearance was on TV in Jackson, Tennessee, local station WBBJ morning show. She was a regular on local Memphis show "Mid-South Jamboree" from 1973-1975. [3]
Signed to her first recording contract in 1976, McClain's distinct vocal sound provided an edge in recognizability â as did her appearance. [4]
[edit] Country music career
[edit] 1976 â 1980: Country beginnings
McClain debuted in late 1976 with her first single, "Lay Me Down", which peaked at #67 on the Billboard Country Chart. McClain's first singles between 1976 through 1977, mainly from her debut album Here's Charly McClain, did not chart very high on the Country charts at the time. McClain's second album, titled Let Me Be Your Baby, was released in 1978. She hit country's Top Ten for the first time in 1978 with "That's What You Do to Me," [5] followed by two other Top 25 hits from the album, "Let Me Be Your Baby" and "Take Me Back".
McClain had a series of Top 20 hits between 1978 and 1980, including "When Love Ain't Right", "You're a Part of Me", and "I Hate the Way I Love It", a duet with Johnny Rodriguez. Occasionally McClain's singles would enter the Top 10. She had two Top 10 hits during this time, "That's What You Do to Me" (1978), followed by "Men", which peaked at #7 in 1980. However, McClain still hadn't achieved breakthrough success.
McClain released two albums between 1979 and 1980, Alone too Long (1979) and Women Get Lonely (1980).
[edit] 1981 â 1989: Breakthrough
McClain hit the top spot one year later with "Who's Cheatin' Who." [6] This brought McClain breakthrough success for the 1980s. In 1981, McClain had three Top 10 hits off her Surround Me With Love, the title track, "Sleepin' With the Radio on", and "The Very Best is You". McClain's albums were also beginning to become more successful as well. Her Who's Cheatin' Who album peaked at #9 on the "Top Country Albums" chart, as did her 1981 album, Surround Me With Love.
She stayed in the upper reaches during 1982 with "Dancing Your Memory Away" and "Sentimental Ol' You," then hit number one again in 1983 with her Mickey Gilley duet "Paradise Tonight." [7] "Paradise Tonight" became McClain's second #1 hit in 1983. McClain's and Gilley's duet partnership became so successful, they released a duet album the following year, It Takes Believers, which spawned the Top 5 hit, "Candy Man", which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Country Chart, followed by "The Right Stuff", which became a Top 15 hit.
McClain also acted occasionally, appearing as a guest star on such shows as Hart to Hart and CHiPs. McClain's lonely life on the road was also chronicled in a 1981 HBO special titled "So You Want to Be a Star."
McClain released another big-selling album in 1985, Radio Heart, after having a series of minor solo hits in 1984. The title track off became a #1 Country hit in 1985, McClain's last #1 hit to date. The album also spawned two other Top 10 hits that year. McClain married former soap star Wayne Massey in 1984, and their own duet ("With Just One Look in Your Eyes") reached number five. [8] The third single off the album was also a duet with Massey, "You Are My Music, You Are My Song." The album, Radio Heart peaked at #15 on the "Top Country Albums" chart in 1985, and became on of McClain's best-known songs.
McClain's success began to subside after 1986, as Country-pop styled music was becoming unfavorable on Country radio. Her 1987 album brought only one Top 40 single, "Don't Touch Me There", which peaked at #20 on the Billboard Country Chart. The other singles did not become as successful. The album became McClain's last album with Epic, as she parted ways with them the following year. She continued to chart until her last recording came in 1989.[9] She recorded one studio album with Mercury Records before the end of the decade. She charted until the end of 1989. Her last charted single was "You Got the Job", which peaked at #65.
[edit] 1990 â present: Current music career status
McClain has not recorded another studio album since 1989's self-titled album with Mercury, and thus has dropped out of the public eye. Since 1989, several compilation albums of her music have been released, including 1999's Anthology, which was a compilation CD of McClain's biggest hits under Epic, beginning with her late '70s hits to her last '80s hits.
McClain has not toured in the past ten years or so. As of 2007 she is still married to Wayne Massey.
[edit] Discography
Main article: Charly McClain discography
[edit] References
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide.com; retrieved March 30, 2008
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide.com; retrieved March 30, 2008
^ Charly McClain biography at her official website (Geocities.com)
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide
^ Charly McClain biography at AOL.com
^ Charly McClain biography at AOL.com; retrieved March 30, 2008
^ Charly McClain biography at AOL.com
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide.com
[edit] External links
Charly McClain Official Website
CMT.com: Charly McClain
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charly_McClain"
Band Of Gold
Charly McClain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All that's left is a band of gold
All that's left of the dream I hold
Is a band of gold
And the memory of what love could be
If you are still here with me
You took me from the shelter of a mother I had never known
We kissed after taking vows
But that night on our honeymoon
We stayed in separate rooms
I wait in the darkness of my lonely room
Filled with sadness, filled with gloom
Hoping soon that you'll walk
Back through that door
And love me like you did before
Since you've been gone
All that's left is a band of gold
All that's left of the dream I hold
Is a band of gold
And the dream of what love could be
If you were still here with me
I wait in the darkness of my lonely room
Filled with sadness, filled with gloom
Hoping soon that you'll walk
Back through that door
And love me like you tried before
Since you've been gone
All that's left is a band of gold
All that's left of the dream I hold
Is a band of gold
And the dream of what love could be
If you are still here with me
The lyrics to Charly McClain's "Band of Gold" are a poignant reflection on lost love and the lingering remnants of a romance long gone. The song opens with the singer lamenting the loss of her lover, and all that remains of their relationship is a "band of gold" - likely referring to her wedding ring. She speaks of the dream of what their love could have been if only her partner were still with her.
The lyrics recall the early days of their romance, when the singer was taken from the shelter of her mother and loved no other. They took vows and shared a kiss, but on their honeymoon, they slept in separate rooms. This suggests that their marriage was not as perfect as it may have seemed on the surface.
The remainder of the lyrics express the singer's continued desire for her lost love to return, to "walk back through that door" and love her like he did before. The "band of gold" serves as a reminder of what was, but also as a symbol of hope that their relationship could be rekindled.
Overall, the lyrics to "Band of Gold" are a bittersweet reminder of the fragility of love and the pain of loss. It is a quintessential breakup song that speaks to the universal human experience of heartbreak and the lingering memories of lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
Now that you're gone
Since you left me
All that's left is a band of gold
All I have to remember you by is this wedding ring
All that's left of the dream I hold
The hope of a happy marriage is all that remains
Is a band of gold
All I have is this ring
And the memory of what love could be
The idea of a loving relationship is still in my mind
If you are still here with me
If you come back to me
You took me from the shelter of a mother I had never known
You rescued me from a difficult situation
Or loved any other
And I've never loved anyone else
We kissed after taking vows
We celebrated our wedding with a kiss
But that night on our honeymoon
However, on our first night together
We stayed in separate rooms
We didn't sleep together
I wait in the darkness of my lonely room
I patiently wait for you, alone in my bedroom
Filled with sadness, filled with gloom
Feeling very sad and unhappy
Hoping soon that you'll walk
Wishing that you will come soon
Back through that door
Back to our home
And love me like you did before
And treat me with the love you once showed me
Since you've been gone
Since you left me
And the dream of what love could be
The longing for a fulfilling romantic relationship
If you were still here with me
If you hadn't left me
And love me like you tried before
And make an effort to love me once again
Contributed by Victoria B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mia's Meows
LOVE her version of this song!
bruce ezzell
She has such a dynamite voice!!!!!
thanks for sharing this
The Mattie Madison
I always loved her voice
Lasse 1964
amazing song !!Awesome times ...the best times of nashville pop country scene...charly she was one of the best 10 country pop female singers of all the time
S.M. White II
I can remember driving to high school year my senior year and hearing this on the radio(AM)đ what a foxâ€ïž
Nayah Satrick
Love this song !
Amy Keister
Love, love, love some Charly McClain!
Dave Wollenberg
Born Charlotte Denise McClain. Charly hit #22 in Billboard, 6-2-84. God bless you, Jack, for postin' it. Thanx! Have a blessed week!
J.W. Gauntt
Dave Wollenberg you're very welcome Dave, thanks a million for listening
Nayah Satrick
Still here still loving this song