[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"
Whispering Pines
Claude King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it the loneliness in me that makes me want to cry
My heart is sad like a mourning dove that's lost its mate in flight
Heard the cooing of his heart through the stillness of the night
Whispering pines whispering pines tell me is it so
Whispering pines whispering pines you're the one who knows
My darling's gone oh she's gone and I need your sympathy
Whispering pines send my baby back to me
See that squirrel up in the tree his mate there on the ground
Hear their barking call of love of the happiness they found
Is my love still my love oh this I gotta know
Send a mesaage by the wind because I love her so
Whispering pines whispering pines
The lyrics to Claude King's song "Whispering Pines" speak to the heartbreak of a protagonist who is lonely and missing his lover. He sees the snow falling and feels time slipping away, and his sadness is like that of a mourning dove who has lost its mate. The singer turns to the whispering pines for comfort and guidance, as they seem to hold the secrets of the forest. He asks them if his love is still his love and begs for their sympathy and for them to send his baby back to him. He even suggests that they send a message to his love through the winds because he loves her so much.
The idea of turning to nature in times of heartbreak is not new, and the lyrics of "Whispering Pines" evoke a sense of the forest as a place of healing and hope. The metaphor of the whispering pines also suggests a sense of mystery and magic, as if the trees hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the heart. Ultimately, the song speaks to a universal human experience of loss and yearning, and the need to find solace and hope in the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
The snowflakes fall as winter calls and time just seems to fly
As winter arrives, time passes quickly and the falling snow makes me feel lonely.
Is it the loneliness in me that makes me want to cry
I'm not sure if it's my loneliness that's causing my sadness and tears.
My heart is sad like a mourning dove that's lost its mate in flight
My heart is heavy and grieving, like a mourning dove who has lost its beloved in the sky.
Heard the cooing of his heart through the stillness of the night
I heard the sound of his heart breaking, in the silence of the night.
Whispering pines whispering pines tell me is it so
I ask the whispering pines to affirm my hopes and fears.
Whispering pines whispering pines you're the one who knows
I believe that the whispering pines hold the secret to my heart's desire.
My darling's gone oh she's gone and I need your sympathy
My beloved is no longer with me and I'm seeking comfort from the whispering pines.
Whispering pines send my baby back to me
I plead with the whispering pines to bring my beloved back to me.
See that squirrel up in the tree his mate there on the ground
I observe a pair of squirrels, one in the tree and the other on the ground, happily together.
Hear their barking call of love of the happiness they found
I can hear the joyful barks of love between the squirrel pair and envy their happiness.
Is my love still my love oh this I gotta know
I'm unsure if my love still loves me and deeply crave the answer.
Send a mesaage by the wind because I love her so
I urge the wind to carry my love message to my beloved because I love her deeply.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: Howard Hausey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Milton Moore
He did as good a
job as anybody
could probably do
covering this song. I am unaware of anyone else who
tried. I think Bobby Lewis, David Rogers, Claude
Gray, and Johnny
Tillotson would
have done well with this one. A
pity they never recorded it.ðŸ˜ðŸ˜