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Alex Harvey (country musician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alex Harvey
Birth nameThomas Alexander Harvey
Born(1941-03-10)March 10, 1941
Haywood County, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedApril 4, 2020(2020-04-04) (aged 79)
GenresAmericana
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, author, actor, radio host
LabelsCapitol, United Artists, Buddah, Kama Sutra
Websitehttp://deltadawn.org

Thomas Alexander Harvey (March 10, 1941[1] – April 4, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, author, actor, and radio host.

History

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Alex Harvey was born in rural western Tennessee near Brownsville. In 1964, Harvey graduated from Murray State University in Kentucky with a master's degree in Music and Education, and he also studied acting in Los Angeles.[2]

Alex Harvey performed and recorded as a musician throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Harvey's songs have been recorded by many other significant artists such as Alan Jackson, Cymarron, Three Dog Night, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmy Buffett, Anne Murray, Eydie Gormé, Henry Mancini, Peggy Lee, and Sammy Davis Jr.[3] Kenny Rogers alone has recorded eighteen Alex Harvey songs.

Two of Alex Harvey's greatest hits were "Reuben James" (co-written with Barry Etris), recorded by Kenny Rogers, and "Delta Dawn" (co-written with Larry Collins), recorded by Tanya Tucker, Helen Reddy, and Bette Midler.[4] In 1973, Alex Harvey's "Delta Dawn" was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Country Song, however, the Grammy was awarded to Kenny O'Dell for writing Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors."[5] "To Make My Life Beautiful" charted in the Netherlands in 1972.[6]

He died on April 4, 2020.[7]

Discography

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Per the Library of Congress National Union Catalog.[8][9]

  • Alex Harvey (1971)
  • Souvenirs (1972)
  • True Love (1973)
  • Preshus Child (1976)
  • Purple Crush (1977)
  • No Place But Texas (1986)
  • Black and Red (1995)
  • Eden (1997)
  • Arms of An Angel (2001)
  • Luminary (2002)
  • Peace (2003)
  • The Songwriter (2004)
  • Galilee (2005)
  • Texas 101 (2015)
  • Heart of The Art In Song (2018)

References

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  1. ^ Thomas Harvey 1941-2020
  2. ^ "Dawn Rises Sig Songwriter to Shine at Top of Pop Charts". The Magazine of Sigma Chi. 93 (2): 37. 1974.
  3. ^ "Alex Harvey | Songs". AllMusic. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  4. ^ Canfield, Jack (May 3, 2011). "Delta Dawn". Chicken Soup for the Soul: Country Music: The Inspirational Stories Behind 101 of Your Favorite Country Songs.
  5. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1984). Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s: An Illustrated Directory. Batsford. pp. 372. ISBN 9780668064590.
  6. ^ "Alex Harvey - to Make My Life Beautiful".
  7. ^ Alex Harvey, Writer of “Delta Dawn” and “Reuben James,” Dies
  8. ^ National Union Catalog 1973-1977: Music, Books on Music, and Sound Recordings. Vol. 3. Library of Congress. 1978. p. 116.
  9. ^ Harvey, Alex (1986), No place but Texas, Tam Records, retrieved April 11, 2019
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