Mickey Gilley

Biography

Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer, businessman, actor, and musician.
Among his hits are "Room Full of Roses×Room Full Of Roses1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Room Full of Roses2:46A2Faded Love3:11A3Plastic Saddle2:25A4Someday2:35A5Don't Be Angry2:24B1I Overlooked an Orchid2:51B2San Antonio Rose2:34B3Please Love Me Forever2:43B4Swinging Doors2:47B5She Called Me Baby2:11", "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time", and "Lonely Nights". Gilley charted 42 singles in the top 40 on the US Country chart. His cover of "Stand by Me" was used in the movie Urban Cowboy and his nightclub in Pasadena, Texas appeared in the movie. He was a cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl McVoy, and Jimmy Swaggart.

Early life and the rise to fame

Gilley was born March 9, 1936, to Arthur Fillmore Gilley (November 27, 1897 – February 2, 1982) and Irene Gilley (née Lewis; September 11, 1900 – August 14, 1985) in Natchez, Mississippi.
For many years, Gilley lived in the shadow of his well-known cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis, a successful singer and musician in the 1950s and early 1960s. Gilley grew up in Louisiana, just across the Mississippi River from where Lewis grew up. Gilley's family moved to the east side of Houston, Texas, in the 1940s, where he attended Galena Park High School. He was primarily a guitarist at the time and took his guitar to school to entertain classmates.
They sang both boogie-woogie and gospel music, but Gilley did not become a professional singer until Lewis hit the top of the charts in the 1950s. Gilley then cut a few singles and played sessions in New Orleans with producer Huey P. Meaux. His record "Call Me Shorty" on the Dot label sold well in 1958. In the 1960s, he played at many clubs and bars, gaining a following at the Nesadel Club in Pasadena, Texas. Paula Records released Gilley's first album, Down the Line×Down the Line1964 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Lonely Wine2:10A2Down the Line2:17A3Forgive2:15A4My Babe2:13A5I’m to Blame2:14A6Turn Around2:50B1Night After Night (Love After Love)2:07B2Susie Q2:00B3I’ll Make It All Up to You3:07B4Is It Wrong1:55B5Breathless2:37B6Lotta Lovin’1:55, in 1967. He had a minor hit from the album called "Now I Can Live Again".
In 1970, Gilley joined in a partnership with Sherwood Cryer. Sherwood owned the club under the name Shelly's. His first nightclub in Pasadena, Texas, called Gilley's Club. It later became known as the "world's biggest honky-tonk". Gilley's Club and its mechanical bull were portrayed in the 1980 film, Urban Cowboy. He shared Gilley's Club with Sherwood Cryer, who asked Gilley to re-open his former bar with him. The club portion of Gilley's burned in 1990.

Recording career in the 1970s before Urban Cowboy

In 1974, just for fun, Gilley recorded a cover of "Room Full of Roses×Room Full Of Roses1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Room Full of Roses2:46A2Faded Love3:11A3Plastic Saddle2:25A4Someday2:35A5Don't Be Angry2:24B1I Overlooked an Orchid2:51B2San Antonio Rose2:34B3Please Love Me Forever2:43B4Swinging Doors2:47B5She Called Me Baby2:11", written by Tim Spencer of the Sons of the Pioneers, which was a hit for George Morgan. Gilley's version was released by Astro Records, but Playboy Records obtained national distribution on it and Gilley was signed to Playboy Records, working with his long-time friend Eddie Kilroy. "Room Full of Roses" made Gilley a star, hitting the very top of the Country charts that year, as well as making it to No. 50 on the pop chart.
He had a string of top 10 hits through the rest of the 1970s, including his signature hit, "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time", in 1976. Some of his hits were covers, including the Bill Anderson song "City Lights×City Lights1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1City Lights2:45A2Big Ole Texas Tears2:13A3I Love You So Much It Hurts2:09A4Backslide2:57A5Fraulein2:45B1More and More2:56B2Even the Bad Times Are Good2:56B3You Are My Sunshine3:53B4Who'll Turn Out the Lights (In Your World Tonight)2:36B5Goodnight Irene2:48", George Jones' "The Window Up Above", and Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me". Other hits from the 1970s were "Chains of Love", "Honky Tonk Memories", "She's Pulling Me Back Again" (all 1977), and "Here Comes the Hurt Again" from 1978. When Playboy Records was bought by Epic Records in 1978, Gilley went with Epic, and "The Power of Positive Drinkin'", "Just Long Enough to Say Goodbye", and "My Silver Lining" all made the Top 10.

Career in the 1980s with the success of Urban Cowboy

By 1980, Gilley sought the crossover success that many country stars (including Eddie Rabbitt, Juice Newton, Kenny Rogers, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Dolly Parton) were experiencing. His career got new life when his cover of the soul standard "Stand by Me" was used in Urban Cowboy. As the movie became successful, so did "Stand by Me". It topped the country charts, hit the Top 5 on the Adult Contemporary charts, and made the Pop Top 40. He also tried his hand at acting, taking a dramatic role in an episode of The Fall Guy in 1982 ("The Silent Partner"); he later returned to the series in a cameo as himself.
His country hits "Room Full of Roses×Room Full Of Roses1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Room Full of Roses2:46A2Faded Love3:11A3Plastic Saddle2:25A4Someday2:35A5Don't Be Angry2:24B1I Overlooked an Orchid2:51B2San Antonio Rose2:34B3Please Love Me Forever2:43B4Swinging Doors2:47B5She Called Me Baby2:11", "True Love Ways", and "You Don't Know Me×You Don't Know Me1981 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Ladies Night2:56A2My Affection3:07A3Drinking Old Memories Down3:07A4She Left You (A Long Time Ago)2:43A5Tears of the Lonely3:14B1You Don't Know Me3:02B2We've Watched Another Evening Waste Away3:32B3Learning to Live Without You3:14B4Lonely Nights3:23B5Clinging to a Memory3:01" also made the Pop chart, and "Bring It On Home To Me", "That's All That Matters", and "Talk to Me×Talk to MeStudio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1You Don't Know Me3:132Talk to Me3:323I Overlooked an Orchid3:014Window Up Above2:355Crazy Arms3:096A Headache Tomorrow3:387City Lights2:478Lonely Nights3:409Honky Tonk Wine2:3410Texas Heartache Number One3:2811Just Long Enough to Say Goodbye3:0812She Reminded Me of You3:2413Paradise Tonight3:13" bubbled under (at 101, 101 and 106, respectively). A string of six country number-ones followed the success of Urban Cowboy, including "True Love Ways", "A Headache Tomorrow (Or a Heartache Tonight)", "You Don't Know Me", and "Lonely Nights". "Fool For Your Love×Fool For Your Love1983 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Fool For Your Love3:18A2I'm Going To Love You Right Out Of The Blues2:27A3Wish You Were Mine Again3:01A4It's Just A Matter Of Time3:24A5A Little Heaven's Rubbing Off On Me2:44B1Shakin' A Heartache2:01B2I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore2:58B3Pretending2:42B4Ruby Louise2:42B5Your Love Shines Through3:10"; "Paradise Tonight", a duet with Charly McClain; and "Talk to Me" (not to be confused with the Stevie Nicks hit of the same name) were all No. 1 country hits for Gilley during 1983. In 1984, he just missed topping the country chart with "You've Really Got a Hold on Me×You've Really Got A Hold On Me1983 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1You've Really Got A Hold On Me2:59A2Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye3:14A3Easy Come Hard To Go3:15A4You Look So Good In Love2:58A5I Don't Want To Lose Your Love3:06B1Good Lookin' Texas Women2:24B2Giving Up On Getting Over You2:55B3Slow Down2:30B4She Got The Green And I Got The Blues2:26B5You Never Cross My Mind2:18", and another hit followed in the form of another duet with Charly McClain, "Candy Man", and a solo hit, "Too Good To Stop Now×Too Good to Stop Now1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Too Good to Stop Now3:252Make It Like the First Time3:513Shoulder to Cry On3:414When She Runs Out of Fools3:465Right Side of the Wrong Bed2:316Everything I Own3:177Reminders3:548You Can Lie to Me Tonight3:039I'm the One Mama Warned You About2:5010Quittin’ Time3:27", both of which made the Top 5.
The year 1985 brought Top 10 hits with "I'm the One Mama Warned You About" and "You've Got Something on Your Mind", followed by the Top 5 "Your Memory Ain't What It Used To Be", and another Top 10 with "Doo-Wah Days" in 1986, his last Top 10 hit, as a new breed of "Traditionalists" moved into Nashville, including Clint Black, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, and Randy Travis. Not only was his chart success fading, but Gilley had a series of financial problems that led to the closing of his club.
In 1988, Gilley signed with Airborne and released an album, Chasin' Rainbows, which resulted in his last Top 40 country hit, "She Reminded Me of You", which made No. 23 that year.
In a career that included 15 years of chart success, Gilley had 17 No. 1 country hits.

Later career

Gilley turned his attention to Branson, Missouri, where he built a theater, which was a soon-to-be boomtown for the country music industry.
Gilley also appeared on "Urban Cowboys", episode 9 in the third season of American Pickers, which aired originally on September 5, 2011. In 2012, Gilley signed a Branson-based vocal group, Six, to a three-year lease to perform in his theater, with an option to buy it when the contract expired.
Gilley returned to the studio in 2017 and released Kickin' It Down the Road the same year. The CD contains several new recordings and several remakes of classic songs originally recorded by him.
In 2018, Gilley teamed up with longtime friend Troy Payne to record his last studio album Two Old Cats, a CD containing 13 classic country duets.

Personal life

Gilley's first wife was Geraldine Garrett, whom he married in 1953 (when he was 17 years old); they divorced in 1961. She was the mother of three of his four children (Keith Ray, Michael, and Kathy). She died on March 6, 2010. Gilley's second wife, whom he married in 1962, was Vivian McDonald. Together they had a son, Gregory (1966–2022). She died in 2019. Gilley was double first cousins with both Jerry Lee Lewis and evangelist Jimmy Swaggart of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In July 2009, Gilley was helping a neighbor move some furniture when he fell with the love seat falling on top of him, crushing four vertebrae. The incident left him temporarily paralyzed from the neck down, but after intense physical therapy he was able to walk again and return to the stage a year later. However, he still lacked the hand-eye coordination necessary to play the piano.
Gilley died on May 7, 2022, of complications from bone cancer.

Honors

For his contribution to the recording industry, Mickey Gilley has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6930 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.
On March 2, 2002, Gilley, along with his two famous cousins Lewis and Swaggart, was inducted into the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana.
In 2020, a road in Pasadena, Texas, was renamed in his honor as Mickey Gilley Boulevard.
Gilley's Dallas, an entertainment complex in Dallas, Texas, is named for Gilley.

Other

Gilley was a licensed pilot, holding an instrument rating with commercial pilot privileges for multi-engine airplanes, as well as private pilot privileges for single engine aircraft.