Charlie McCoy

Charles Ray McCoy (born March 28, 1941) is an American harmonicist and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his harmonica solos on iconic recordings such as "Candy Man" (Roy Orbison), "He Stopped Loving Her Today" (George Jones), "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" (Barbara Mandrell), and others. He was a member of the progressive country rock bands Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry. After recording with Bob Dylan in New York, McCoy is credited for unknowingly influencing Dylan to decide to come to Nashville to record the critically acclaimed 1966 album Blonde on Blonde.

A prolific session musician, McCoy performed on many recordings by established artists, including Elvis Presley (on eight of his film sound tracks), Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Waylon Jennings, Roy Orbison, Leon Russell, and Loretta Lynn. In the recording industry, he was known as the "utility man" because of his ability to play with sufficient skill on many different instruments in addition to the harmonica; for example, he played trumpet on Dylan's "Rainy Day Women ♯12 & 35", saxophone on Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman", and bass harmonica on Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer". On Elvis Presley's 1965 soundtrack album Harum Scarum, he played guitar, harmonica, organ, and vibraphone. For 19 years, McCoy worked as music director for Nashville's popular television show, Hee Haw. In 2022, he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. His memoir, Fifty Cents and a Box Top– The Creative Life of Nashville Session Musician Charlie McCoy, was published in 2017.

Early life McCoy was born in Oak Hill, West Virginia, United States. His family moved to nearby Fayetteville when he was a boy and then to Miami, Florida. In 1949, at age 8, McCoy saw an advertisement in a comic book, that read: "Learn to play harmonica in seven days or your money back." It required a box top from a cereal product plus 50 cents. When the instrument arrived, McCoy found it hard to get any music out of it, and lost interest. At age sixteen he accompanied a friend to a Miami-based country music barn dance radio show called the "Old South Jamboree". Upon their arrival, McCoy's friend left him in the crowd and went to talk to "Happy" Harold Thaxton, the host of the show, with the intention of coaxing the reluctant McCoy up on stage to sing. McCoy's performance that night, along with the positive response from the audience, led to the band, Charlie McCoy and the Agendas, being signed to the Old South Jamboree.

McCoy, who still wanted to make a career in music, decided to return to Nashville, a difficult decision, because it meant quitting college, and would disappoint his father.

Big break Chet Atkins heard one of McCoy's demo tapes and immediately hired him as a staff musician in May, 1961. His first recording session for RCA as a harmonica player was with an unknown singer from Sweden named Ann-Margret. He accompanied her on the song "I Just Don't Understand" Fred Foster of Monument Records then booked McCoy for McCoy's second session, this time with Roy Orbison, which included the song, "Candy Man". and went to No. 16 in the Billboard country charts. His next album, The Real McCoy, won a Grammy at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. His album Good Time Charlie reached No. 1 in the Billboard country chart. He has won two CMA Awards and seven ACM Awards.

The Dylan connection

McCoy was visiting in New York in 1965; his friend and producer, Bob Johnston, mentioned that he was producing a Bob Dylan session, and he invited McCoy to come and meet Dylan. Several months later, McCoy got a call that Dylan was indeed coming to Nashville, and a date had been set. McCoy would be the session leader and was tasked with picking the musicians. It was a big deal back then, because Nashville's connection for recording with folk singers was not stellar. McCoy said, "There were no folk-rock people performing here [Nashville] before Blonde on Blonde; and after that came out, it was like the floodgates opened...It was Joan Baez, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Byrds, and Leonard Cohen." Some of his memorable harmonica solos were on "(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine" (Tom T. Hall), "Candy Man" (Roy Orbison), He Stopped Loving Her Today (George Jones), and "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"( Barbara Mandrell).

For 19 years McCoy worked as music director for the popular television show Hee Haw, He is a member of the International Musicians Hall of Fame and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. In May, 2016, West Virginia University awarded McCoy an Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts. In 2017, The West Virginia University Press published Fifty Cents and a Box Top: The Creative Life of Nashville Session Musician Charlie McCoy. He was inducted by Larry Gatlin on July 13, 2022.

Personal life McCoy has two children with his first wife and five grandchildren. Each of his grandchildren has contributed to one of his albums in some way. His second granddaughter did the artwork for three album covers (Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Smooth Sailing, Celtic Dreams) and sang on one of his Christmas CDs. His oldest granddaughter played flute and sang on a few of his albums. Each of the youngest three has sung on one of his albums, as has his son (Charlie, Jr.) and daughter (Ginger).

Television Television appearances as an artist Hee Haw Music City Tonight Nashville Now CMA Awards Show Arthritis Telethon The Mike Douglas Show The Midnight Special The Colgate Country Showdown That Good Old Nashville Music Pop Goes The Country New Country The Orange Blossom Special The Hee Haw Honeys The Johnny Cash Show Prime Time Country Nashville Swing Canada The Val Doonican Show England The West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame Awards Show 2008 Larry's Country Diner

Television shows as a music director Hee Haw The Colgate Country Showdown The Nashville Palace The Hee Haw Honeys The Hee Haw 10th Anniversary Show The Hee Haw 20th Anniversary Show Happy New Year From Opryland The Charlie Daniels Christmas Special The Mickey Gilley Arthritis Telethon Tootsie's, Where the Songs Began Country Gold The International Musicians Hall Of Fame Awards Show 2008

Discography Albums (partial listing) Year Album

Label 1967 The World of Charlie McCoy

1968 The Real McCoy (First Version)

The Real McCoy (Hot Dog Bun Cover)

Charlie McCoy

Good Time Charlie

The Fastest Harp in the South

The Nashville Hit Man

Christmas

Charlie My Boy

Harpin' the Blues

1976 Play It Again Charlie

Country Cookin'''

Stone Fox Chase (Issued in UK Only)

1978

1979

1988

1989

1991

1995

Koka Media (France) 1998

Revival (UK) 2003

Green Hill 2007

2010

2013

2015

2017

Singles

1961 "Cherry Berry Wine"

single only 1968 "Gimmie Some Lovin'/The Boy From England"

The World of Charlie McCoy (promotional single only)

"Today I Started Loving You Again"

The Real McCoy|- "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"

"I Really Don't Want to Know"

"Orange Blossom Special"

"Shenandoah"

"Release Me"

Fastest Harp in the South|-

"Silver Threads and Golden Needles"

"Boogie Woogie" (with Barefoot Jerry)

"I Can't Help It"

"Blue Christmas"

Christmas|-

"Everybody Stand Up and Holler for the Union"

"Juke"

"Pots and Pans"

Play It Again Charlie|- "Columbus Stockade Blues"

Harpin' the Blues|- 1976 "Wabash Cannonball"

"Summit Ridge Drive" (with Barefoot Jerry)

"Amazing Grace"

"Foggy River"

"Fair and Tender Ladies"

"Drifting Lovers"

"Midnight Flyer"

"Ramblin' Music Man"

1981 "Until the Night" (with Laney Smallwood)

1983 "The State of Our Union" (with Laney Smallwood as Laney Hicks)

1989 "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (re-recording)

1990 "One O'Clock Jump"

Collaborations Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan (1965) Blonde on Blonde – Bob Dylan (1966) John Wesley Harding – Bob Dylan (1967) Country, My Way – Nancy Sinatra (1967) How Great Thou Art – Elvis Presley (1967) The Way I Feel – Gordon Lightfoot (1967) I Stand Alone – Al Kooper (1968) One Day at a Time – Joan Baez (1969) Nashville Skyline – Bob Dylan (1970) Easy Does It – Al Kooper (1970) Beaucoups of Blues – Ringo Starr (1970) Blessed Are... – Joan Baez (1971) Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) – Elvis Presley (1971) Yesterday's Wine – Willie Nelson (1971) Summer Side of Life – Gordon Lightfoot (1971) Come from the Shadows – Joan Baez (1972) Paul Simon – Paul Simon (1972) He Touched Me – Elvis Presley (1972) Really – J. J. Cale (1972) Rock and Roll Resurrection – Ronnie Hawkins (1972) Hank Wilson's Back Vol. I – Leon Russell (1973)Spider Jiving – Andy Fairweather Low (1974) Seven – Bob Seger (1974) Don't Stop Believin' – Olivia Newton-John (1976) Lovin' and Learnin' – Tanya Tucker (1976) Honest Lullaby – Joan Baez (1979) High Country Snows – Dan Fogelberg (1985) Girls Like Me – Tanya Tucker (1986) Greatest Hits Encore – Tanya Tucker (1990) Let There Be Peace on Earth – Vince Gill (1994) 12 Golden Country Greats – Ween (1996) The Houston Kid – Rodney Crowell (2001) Fate's Right Hand – Rodney Crowell (2003) Thrasher – Brandon Flowers (2026)