Jimmy C. Newman

• Name — Jimmy C. Newman • Landscape — yes • Birth Name — Jimmy Yves Newman • Born — 29 August 1927 • Birthplace — Mamou, Louisiana, U.S. • Died — 21 June 2014 • Place of death — Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. • Instrument — Acoustic guitar • Genre — Country, Cajun • Occupation — Singer-songwriter • Years Active — 1954–2014 • Label — Feature Records

Newman was born near Mamou, Louisiana, United States. As a child, he listened more to Gene Autry than to the Cajun music of the area, but had a number of Cajun songs in his repertoire when, as a teenager, he joined Chuck Guillory's Rhythm Boys.

He recorded a few unsuccessful sides for J. D. "Jay" Miller's Feature Records in the 1940s, but Miller persuaded Fred Rose in Nashville to give the young singer an opportunity. In 1953, he was signed to Dot Records and the following year recorded "Cry, Cry, Darling", which reached number four on the country chart. His recording success led the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, Louisiana, to hire him as a regular performer. His next four records all reached top-10 status, and in 1956, he was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. That following year, he released his biggest hit, "A Fallen Star", which spent two weeks at number two and also entered the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. As an established artist, he began to integrate his Cajun influences into his music, and recorded "Alligator Man", which was a top-25 record and continued to be his theme song at the Opry. In 1963, he released another top-10 hit, "The D.J. Cried". His final hits came in 1965 and 1966 with "Artificial Rose" and "Back Pocket Money". When his commercial popularity declined, he returned to Cajun music, forming his Cajun Country band and taking the high-energy fiddle- and accordion-based music of his native Louisiana to fans around the world. In 1976, his recording of the Cajun French song, "Lâche pas la patate" ("The Potato Song") earned gold record status in Canada. In 1991, Newman and Cajun Country earned a Grammy Award nomination for their album, Alligator Man. Entertainer Dolly Parton has long credited Newman with enabling her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, in 1959, describing how when she appeared at the Opry unannounced at age 13, asking to sing, Newman relinquished one of his two allotted slots to allow Parton to perform.

In 2000, he was inducted into the North American Country Music Association’s International Hall of Fame, and in 2004 was inducted into the Cajun Hall of Fame. He is also honored in the Cajun Music Hall of Fame in Eunice, Louisiana, and in 2009, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He continued to tour and appear regularly at the Grand Ole Opry, making his last appearance on the show on June 6, 2014. In 2006, he joined a select group of entertainers who have marked 50 years of Opry membership.

Newman and his wife made their home on their 670 acre ranch outside of Nashville near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Newman died of cancer, in Nashville, on June 21, 2014.

• Year — Album title — US Country — Label • 1959 — This Is Jimmy Newman — — — MGM • 1962 — Jimmy Newman — — — Decca • 1963 — Folk Songs of the Bayou Country — — • 1966 — Artificial Rose — 10 • Sings Country Songs — — • 1967 — The World of Country Music — — • 1968 — The Jimmy Newman Way — — • Born to Love You — 42 • 1969 — The Jimmy Newman Style — — • 1970 — Country Time — — • 1974 — Sings Cajun — — — La Louisiane • 1976 — Progressive Country — — — Plantation • Greatest Hits — — • 1978 — Cajun Cowboy — — • 1979 — Happy Cajun — — • 1981 — Cajun Country — — — Delta

• Year — Single — US Country — Album • 1953 — "I Made a Big Mistake" — — — The Original Cry, Cry, Darling Jimmy Newman & Al Terry – Their Earliest Recordings 1949–1952 • "I Don't Know What I'm Going to Do" — — • 1954 — "Cry, Cry, Darling" — 4 — singles only • "Night Time Is Cry Time" — — • "Your True and Faithful One" — — • 1955 — "Daydreamin'" — 7 • "Blue Darlin'" — 7 • 1956 — "God Was So Good" — 9 • "Seasons of My Heart" — 9 • "Come Back to Me" — 13 • "Honky Tonk Tears" — — • 1957 — "I've Got You on My Mind" — — • "A Fallen Star" A — 2 • "Need Me" — — • 1958 — "Step Aside Shallow Water Let the Deep Sea Roll" — — • "Bop-a-Hula" — — • "You're Makin' a Fool Out of Me" — 7 — This Is Jimmy Newman • 1959 — "So Soon" — 19 • "Lonely Girl" — 30 • "Grin and Bear It" — 9 — singles only • "Walkin' Down the Road" — 29 • 1960 — "I Miss You Already" — 21 • "A Lovely Work of Art" — 6 • "Wanting You With Me Tonight" — 11 • 1961 — "Everybody's Dying for Love" — 14 — Jimmy Newman • "Big Mamou" — — • 1962 — "Alligator Man" — 22 • "Of All the Things (You Left)" — — — singles only • "After Dark Affair" — — • 1963 — "Bayou Talk" — 12 • "Everything" — — • 1964 — "D.J. for a Day" — 9 • "Angel on Leave" — 34 • "Summer Skies and Golden Sands" — 34 • "You're Still on My Mind" — — • 1965 — "City of the Angels" — 37 — Artificial Rose • "Back in Circulation" — 13 • "Artificial Rose" — 8 • 1966 — "Back Pocket Money" — 10 — Sings Country Songs • "Bring Your Heart Home" — 25 • 1967 — "Dropping Out of Sight" — 32 — The World of Country Music • "Louisiana Saturday Night" — 24 — The Jimmy Newman Way • "Blue Lonely Winter" — 11 • 1968 — "Sunshine and Bluebirds" — 47 — Born to Love You • "Born to Love You" B — 20 • 1969 — "Future Farmers of America" — — — Single Release only, quickly withdrawn after protests from the actual F.F.A. • "Boo Dan" — 31 — The Jimmy Newman Style • "Three" — — • 1970 — "Foolishly" — — — Country Time • "Washington, DC" — — • "I'm Holding Your Memory (But He's Holding You)" — 65 — singles only • 1971 — "Is It Really Over" — — • 1972 — "Secret Love" — — • "Not as a Sweetheart (Just as a Friend)" — — • "Wild Rose" — — • 1973 — "Kind of Love I Can't Forget" — — • "Just Once More" — — • 1974 — "Potato Songs" — — — Sings Cajun • "Go Go Song" — — — single only • 1978 — "Happy Cajun" — — — Happy Cajun • 1979 — "Sugar Bee" — — • "Sweet Suzannah" — — • 1980 — "Cotton Eyed Joe" — — — single only • 1981 — "Louisiana" — — — Cajun Country • 1982 — "All My Cloudy Days Are Gone" — — — singles only • 1983 — "Wondering" — — • 1984 — "Passe par tout" — — • 1987 — "Laissez les bons temps rouler" — — • A "A Fallen Star" peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No.7 on the R&B chart. • B "Born to Love You" peaked at No. 35 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.