[edit] Career
At a young age, he was interested in music but his primary interest was athletics. He purchased a guitar at the age of 12 and although he learned to play it, most of his time was devoted to sport. This eventually resulted in being offered a baseball scholarship to the University of Idaho at Moscow.
King later returned to Shreveport and joined the Louisiana Hayride, a popular TV and radio show broadcast in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, produced in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Louisiana Hayride ranked second only to the Grand Ole Opry in terms of television and radio importance in the early 1950s to the 1960s and King was frequently billed on the same shows with other famous legends such as Elvis Presley, John Ritter's father, Tex Ritter, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, Jimmie Davis, Slim Whitman, Faron Young, Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, George Jones and Lefty Frizzell, among many others who became big music stars in the 1960s.
King recorded a few songs for Gotham Records, although none were successful. In 1961, he became more serious about a musical career and signed with the Nashville, Tennessee division of Columbia Records. He struck immediately, cutting "Big River, Big Man", a country Top 10 and even a small pop crossover success. He soon followed with "The Comancheros" inspired by the movie of the same title, starring John Wayne. It was a Top 10 country hit in late 1961, also crossing over to the pop charts.
King made his "career" recording in the spring of 1962. "Wolverton Mountain", written with Nashville veteran Merle Kilgore, was based on a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on Wolverton Mountain in Arkansas. The song became an immediate hit, going to No.1 for nine weeks during its 26-week run on the Billboard Country charts. It was also a pop Top 10.
King followed up that year with an American Civil War song, "The Burning Of Atlanta" which also went Top 10 on the country charts and again generated a lot of interest on the pop lists. In late 1962, he recorded "I've Got The World By The Tail" which narrowly missed the country Top 10.
He had another good year in 1963, scoring three solid country hits with "Sheepskin Valley", "Building a Bridge" and "Hey Lucille!". The hits continued in 1964 with "Sam Hill" and in 1965 he was back in the Top 10 with "Tiger Woman", co-written by Merle Kilgore. King also did well that year with "Little Buddy". His smooth country style continued to find a flavor throughout the decade, especially songs like "Catch a Little Raindrop" and the Top 10 "All For The Love Of A Girl" in 1969. His singles continued to hit the country charts through 1972. He left the label in 1973 after having accomplished 29 hits.
Besides a successful career recording and touring, King also performed as an actor in several movies, and like his nephew, Chris Aable, King is also among a minority of actors who are members in both the Screen Actors Guild and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He appeared in the 1982 television miniseries The Blue and the Gray and appeared in several feature films. King is no relation to another actor by the same name, born in 1875 in England.
In 1981, Arkansas Governor Frank D. White paid tribute to King and his big 1962 hit by declaring August 7 "Wolverton Mountain Day". By that time, King had almost retired from recording.
After being absent from recording for over 20 years, King recently released a new CD called Cowboy in the White House. Most of the songs were written or co-written by him. Elvis Presley's guitarist, James Burton performed guitar for the release.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_King"
Mary's Vineyard
Claude King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Old man Oscar Dill lived back in the Tennessee hills
He's got him two or three stills and he makes heavy water
Oh I worked for him one time runnin' sour mash across the line
And he warned me to pay no mind to his three daughters
Yeah one was eighteen and one was twenty two one was just my age
One by one I opened the door to the gilded cage (yes I did now)
He don't know and I ain't gonna tell him what I've done one time
I made love to his sweet Martha and pretty little Caroline
But the grapes in Mary's vineyard are the sweetest on the vine
Now old man Oscar Dill said he wouldn't hesitate to kill
Anybody messin' round his stills or his three daughters
But even so late at night when the moon wasn't shining too bright
I'd sneaked around get brave all right sippin' his heavy water
Yeah one was eighteen...
I made love to his sweet Martha...
The lyrics of Claude King's "Mary's Vineyard" describe the singer's experiences with the three daughters of an old man named Oscar Dill. The song is set in the Tennessee hills, where Oscar has two or three stills and makes heavy water, a term for illegal alcohol. The singer once worked for Oscar, running sour mash across state lines, and was warned by Oscar not to get involved with his daughters. However, the singer couldn't resist and eventually had relationships with Martha and Caroline, as well as a third daughter who is not named in the song. Despite Oscar's threats and violent reputation, the singer continues to see the girls, though he keeps it a secret from Oscar. The final line of the song asserts that the grapes in Mary's vineyard are the sweetest on the vine, implying that the singer finds Mary, the unnamed daughter, to be the most attractive of the three.
Line by Line Meaning
The grapes in Mary's vineyard are the sweetest on the vine
Mary's vineyard has the most delicious grapes among all the vineyards
Old man Oscar Dill lived back in the Tennessee hills
An elderly man named Oscar Dill resided in the Tennessee hills
He's got him two or three stills and he makes heavy water
Oscar Dill owns two or three stills and produces illegal alcoholic beverages
Oh I worked for him one time runnin' sour mash across the line
The singer once transported illegally distilled alcoholic beverages for Oscar Dill
And he warned me to pay no mind to his three daughters
Oscar Dill advised the singer to not show interest in his three daughters
Yeah one was eighteen and one was twenty two one was just my age
Oscar Dill had three daughters of different ages: eighteen, twenty-two, and the singer's age
One by one I opened the door to the gilded cage (yes I did now)
The singer pursued relationships with Oscar Dill's daughters, one at a time
He don't know and I ain't gonna tell him what I’ve done one time
Oscar Dill is unaware of the singer's romantic affairs with his daughters and the singer has no intention of confessing
Cause he thinks he raised three little angels ah I think that's fine
Oscar Dill believes he raised three innocent and virtuous daughters, and the singer has no qualms with him thinking that
I made love to his sweet Martha and pretty little Caroline
The singer slept with two of Oscar Dill's daughters named Martha and Caroline
But the grapes in Mary's vineyard are the sweetest on the vine
Despite the singer's romantic affairs with Oscar Dill's daughters, he still believes that Mary's vineyard produces the tastiest grapes
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: BOB WILKINS, WAYNE CARSON THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind