Roy Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 Hamilton in 1957 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rodothas Hamilton |
| Born | April 16, 1929 Leesburg, Georgia, United States |
| Died | July 20, 1969 (aged 40) New Rochelle, New York, United States |
| Genres | Traditional pop, show tunes, swing, vocal jazz, R&B, soul |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1947–1969 |
| Labels | Epic, MGM, RCA |
| Website | royhamilton |
Roy Hamilton (April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969)[1] was an American singer. By combining semi-classical technique with traditional black gospel feeling, he brought soul to Great American Songbook singing.[2]
Hamilton's greatest commercial success came from 1954 through 1961, when he was Epic Records' most prolific artist.[3] His two most influential recordings, "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Unchained Melody", became Epic's first two number-one hits when they topped the Billboard R&B chart in March 1954 and May 1955, respectively.[1][4] Hamilton became the first solo artist in the label's history to have a US top-ten pop hit when "Unchained Melody" peaked at No. 6 in May 1955.[4]
- ^ a b Doc Rock. "The 1960s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- ^ Gilliland, John. "Show 3 – The Tribal Drum: The rise of rhythm and blues. [Part 1] – All TracksDigital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- ^ Dawson, Jim & Propes, Steve (2003). 45 RPM: The History, Heroes & Villains of a Pop Music Revolution (1st ed.). San Francisco : Backbeat Books. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-8793-0757-8
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 181.