wazzzy
2007-03-27 18:00:22 UTC
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/27/ap/entertainment/main2613519.shtml
Singer Henson Cargill, whose 1968 hit "Skip a Rope" topped the country
charts with its understated take on social problems, has died. He was
66.
Cargill died Saturday following complications from surgery, Matthews
Funeral Home in Edmond confirmed.
"Skip a Rope" made it to No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and was
a top 25 crossover success in the pop music chart.
A New York Times review in 1968 called the song "a little morality
lesson within the context of a child's skip-rope rhyme" and said
Cargill "has one of those deliciously smooth country baritones like
Johnny Cash's or Dave Dudley's."
The verses refer to marital discord, tax cheating and racial
prejudice, with the refrain: "Skip a rope, skip a rope. Oh, listen to
the children while they play. Ain't it kind of funny what the children
say, skip a rope."
Written by Jack Moran and Glen Douglas Tubb, "Skip a Rope" was
nominated for 1968 song of the year by the Country Music Association
awards, according to the CMA Web site.
Among Cargill's other country hits were "None of My Business" and "The
Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I've Ever Heard." A collection of his songs
was released on CD in 2005 as "A Very Well Travelled Man."
More recently, Cargill owned and operated a west Oklahoma City country
music showplace in the 1980s called Henson's. It featured such
performers as Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Roy Orbison, Glenn Campbell,
Waylon Jennings and Cargill's friend and mentor, Johnny Cash.
Cargill came from a prominent Oklahoma City family; his grandfather,
O.A. Cargill, was mayor. He attended Colorado State University, where
he began performing at local events.
He returned to Oklahoma City, where he worked for the court clerk's
and sheriff's offices before joining a musical group called the
Kimberleys and eventually forming one on his own.
He is survived by two sons, a daughter, four sisters and a brother.
Singer Henson Cargill, whose 1968 hit "Skip a Rope" topped the country
charts with its understated take on social problems, has died. He was
66.
Cargill died Saturday following complications from surgery, Matthews
Funeral Home in Edmond confirmed.
"Skip a Rope" made it to No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and was
a top 25 crossover success in the pop music chart.
A New York Times review in 1968 called the song "a little morality
lesson within the context of a child's skip-rope rhyme" and said
Cargill "has one of those deliciously smooth country baritones like
Johnny Cash's or Dave Dudley's."
The verses refer to marital discord, tax cheating and racial
prejudice, with the refrain: "Skip a rope, skip a rope. Oh, listen to
the children while they play. Ain't it kind of funny what the children
say, skip a rope."
Written by Jack Moran and Glen Douglas Tubb, "Skip a Rope" was
nominated for 1968 song of the year by the Country Music Association
awards, according to the CMA Web site.
Among Cargill's other country hits were "None of My Business" and "The
Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I've Ever Heard." A collection of his songs
was released on CD in 2005 as "A Very Well Travelled Man."
More recently, Cargill owned and operated a west Oklahoma City country
music showplace in the 1980s called Henson's. It featured such
performers as Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Roy Orbison, Glenn Campbell,
Waylon Jennings and Cargill's friend and mentor, Johnny Cash.
Cargill came from a prominent Oklahoma City family; his grandfather,
O.A. Cargill, was mayor. He attended Colorado State University, where
he began performing at local events.
He returned to Oklahoma City, where he worked for the court clerk's
and sheriff's offices before joining a musical group called the
Kimberleys and eventually forming one on his own.
He is survived by two sons, a daughter, four sisters and a brother.