Barbara Fairchild (born November 12, 1950) is an American Country Music/Gospel Music Singer, who is best known for her 1973 Country chart-topper "Teddy Bear Song". After the success fo the song, she continued to have success on the Country charts

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Biography

[edit] Early life & beginnings in Nashville

Barbara started her career at a very young age singing country music. She cut her very first single at only 15 years old. In 1963, she moved to St. Louis, MO, and by 1965, she was a regular on a local TV show and recorded for a local label, Norman Records, but none of her singles released were much more than regional hits.

In 1968, after high school graduation, she decided to follow her dream and moved to Nashville. She briefly signed with Kapp Records with no success. She also recorded briefly for MCA Records. After this, she met producer Billy Sherrill, who had discovered another country singer Tammy Wynette. He listened to Barbara's songs and decided that she was ready for a major record deal and he signed her with Columbia Records in 1969. Her first single in 1969, "Love Is A Gentle Thing", was a minor hit as was her next single, "A Woman's Hand". In 1970, she scored her first Top 40 hit with "A Girl Who'll Satisfy Her Man". Between 1970 and 1972, Barbara scored 4 more Top 40 hits, the biggest of these being "Love's Old Song" and "Thanks For The Mem'ries".

[edit] The success of "Teddy Bear Song"

1973 would turn out to be the breakthrough year for Barbara as she released the biggest hit of her career with "Teddy Bear Song". It not only became a number 1 hit on the country charts but also reached the pop charts as well peaking at #32. It was also nominated for a Grammy that year. "Teddy Bear Song" spent 2 weeks at the #1 spot and became Fairchild's signature song. She followed up "Teady Bear Song" very well with another smash hit with "Kid Stuff" that year which reached number 2 on the country charts and barely made the Top 100 on the pop charts at #95. In 1974, she scored another Top 10 with the song "Baby Doll". Between 1974 and 1977, she had several other major successes among these being "Standing In Your Line", "Little Girl Feelin'", "Mississippi", "Cheatin' Is" and "Let Me Love You Once Before You Go".

But by 1978, her country success began to rapidly fade away as her singles began to show up in the lower regions of the charts. In 1980, she signed with Paid Records where she recorded several duets with Billy Walker but none of these singles brought her back into the upper regions of the charts. In 1982, Fairchild married the evangelical singer/songwriter Milton Carroll in San Antonio, Texas. In 1986, she signed with Capitol Records in an attempt at a comeback but the single released "Just Out Ridin' Around" only reached #84 and would represent her last single to chart. And she loves her cousin Buster Prine very much..

[edit] Later career & life today

Increasingly, she turned her attention to Gospel Music, where she has recorded exclusively since then both solo and with Connie Smith and Sharon White on the album Love Never Fails. She now lives in Branson, Missouri where she lives with her husband Roy Morris, himself a singer/songwriter and they perform at their own theater in Branson, singing both country and gospel music.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album

US Country US Hot 100

1969 "Love is a Gentle Thing" 69 Someone Special

"A Woman's Hand" 66

"A Girl Who'll Satisfy Her Man" 26

1970 "(Loving You is) Sunshine" 33 Love's Old Song

1971 "Love's Old Song" 28

"Color My World" 38

1972 "Thanks for the Mem'ries" 29 A Sweeter Love

"A Sweeter Love (I'll Never Know)" 53

"Teddy Bear Song" 1 32

1973 "Kid Stuff" 2 95 Kid Stuff

1974 "Baby Doll" 6

"Standing in Your Line" 17 Standing in Your Line

"Little Girl Feeling" 31 Barbara Fairchild

1975 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" 41

"Let's Love While We Can" 52

1976 "Under Your Spell Again" 65 Mississippi

"Let Me Love You Once Before You Go" 22

"Cheatin' Is" 15

1977 "For All the Right Reasons" 49 Free and Easy

1980 "Let Me Be the One" (w/ Billy Walker) 74 Bye Bye Love

"Bye Bye Love"/"Love's Slipping Through Our Fingers" (w/ Billy Walker) 70/79

1986 "Just Riding Around" 84 single only

[edit] Albums

Year Album U.S. Country Albums

1970 Someone Special -

1971 Love's Old Song 31

1972 A Sweeter Love 17

1973 Kid Stuff 14

1974 Love Is a Gentle Thing 33

1974 Standing In Your Line 29

1975 Barbara Fairchild -

1976 Mississippi 49

1977 Free and Easy 48

1978 Greatest Hits -

1979 This Is Me -

1980 Bye Bye Love (with Billy Walker) -

1982 The Biggest Hurt -

1993 Son In My Eyes -

1995 Stories -

1995 Hymns That Last Forever -

1998 Classic Country -

1999 Rocky Top -

2000 Then and Now -

2000 All Is Forgiven (with Roy Morris) -

2001 For God and Country (with Roy Morris) -

2002 Wings of a Dove -

2003 Love Never Fails (with Connie Smith & Sharon White) -

2003 Forever Friend -

[edit] External links

Barbara Fairchild Official Site

Barbara Fairchild At All Music Guide

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