Don Gibson

Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American country singer and songwriter. Gibson wrote such country standards as the ballad "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1956 until the late '70s, including number ones on the US Country Chart with Oh Lonesome Me and Blue Blue Day, both tracks he also wrote.

Gibson was an inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, nicknamed "the Sad Poet" because he frequently wrote songs that told of loneliness and lost love.

Career Gibson's first band was called Sons of the Soil, with whom he made his first recording for Mercury Records in 1949. and "I Can't Stop Loving You" for RCA Victor. The afternoon session resulted in a double-sided hit on both the country and pop charts. "Oh Lonesome Me" set the pattern for a long series of other RCA hits. "Blue Blue Day", recorded prior to "Oh, Lonesome Me" was a number-une hit in 1958. His later singles included "Look Who's Blue" (1958), "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" (1959), "Sea of Heartbreak" (1961), "Lonesome No. 1", "I Can Mend Your Broken Heart" (1962), and "Woman (Sensuous Woman)", a number-one country hit in 1972.

Personal life and death Gibson married Polly Bratcher prior to 1958. He married Bobbi Patterson in 1967.

He died of natural causes on November 17, 2003.

Legacy Gibson was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010.

The Don Gibson Theater Located in Cleveland County, North Carolina, the Don Gibson Theater opened in November 2009 in historic uptown Shelby. Originally constructed in 1939, the renovated art deco gem features an exhibit of the life and accomplishments of singer-songwriter Don Gibson, an intimate 400-seat music hall, and adjoining function space that can accommodate up to 275 people. The theater showcases a busy schedule of premier musical performances. Past performers have included Marty Stuart, Pam Tillis, Tom Paxton, Ralph Stanley, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, John Oates, and Gene Watson.

Discography Albums Year Album Chart Positions Label US Country US 1958 Songs by Don Gibson — — Lion Oh Lonesome Me — — RCA 1959 No One Stands Alone — — That Gibson Boy — — 1960 Look Who's Blue — — Sweet Dreams — — 1961 Girls, Guitars and Gibson — — 1962 Some Favorites of Mine — — 1964 I Wrote a Song 14 134 God Walks These Hills — — 1965 A Blue Million Tears — — The Best of Don Gibson — — Too Much Hurt 13 — 1966 Don Gibson with Spanish Guitars 4 — Great Country Songs 14 — 1967 All My Love 19 — 1968 The King of Country Soul 21 — More Country Soul 26 — 1969 Dottie and Don (with Dottie West) 21 — Don Gibson Sings All-Time Country Gold 17 — 1970 The Best of Don Gibson 2 — — Hits, The Don Gibson Way 39 — Hickory A Perfect Mountain — — 1971 Hank Williams as Sung by Don Gibson — — Country Green 17 — 1972 Woman (Sensuous Woman) 16 — The Two of Us Together (with Sue Thompson) — — 1973 Touch the Morning / That's What I'll Do 26 — Hickory/MGM 1974 Snap Your Fingers 21 — The Very Best of Don Gibson 30 — Bring Back Your Love to Me 38 — 1975 I'm the Loneliest Man 47 — Oh, How Love Changes (with Sue Thompson) 43 — Don't Stop Loving Me — — 1976 I'm All Wrapped Up in You — — 1977 If You Ever Get to Houston — — 1978 Starting All Over Again — — Look Who's Blue — —

Singles Year Single Chart Positions Album US Country US CAN Country 1956 "Sweet Dreams" 9 — — single only 1958 "Oh Lonesome Me" 1 7 — Oh Lonesome Me "I Can't Stop Lovin' You" 7 81 — "Blue Blue Day" 1 20 — "Give Myself a Party" 5 46 — I Wrote a Song "Look Who's Blue" 8 58 — singles only 1959 "Who Cares" 3 43 — "A Stranger to Me" 27 — — "Lonesome Old House" 11 71 — "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" 5 85 — I Wrote a Song "Heartbreak Avenue" — — — Oh, Lonesome Me "I'm Movin' On" 14 — — single only 1960 "Big Hearted Me" 29 — — Look Who's Blue "Just One Time" 2 29 — "Far, Far Away" 11 72 — Sweet Dreams "Sweet Dreams" (re-recording) 6 93 — 1961 "What About Me" 22 100 — "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" — 108 — "Sea of Heartbreak" 2 21 — The Best of Don Gibson "I Think It's Best" — — — Girls, Guitars and Gibson "Lonesome Number One" 2 59 — I Wrote a Song "The Same Old Trouble" — — — singles only 1962 "I Can Mend Your Broken Heart" 5 105 — "So How Come (No One Loves Me)" 22 — — 1963 "Head Over Heels in Love with You" 12 — — "It Was Worth It All" — — — "Anything New Gets Old (Except My Love for You)" 22 — — I Wrote a Song 1964 "Oh Such a Stranger" — — — "Cause I Believe in You" 23 — — singles only 1965 "Again" 19 — — "Watch Where You're Going" 10 — — 1966 "A Born Loser" 12 — — Great Country Songs "(Yes) I'm Hurting" 6 — — "Funny, Familiar, Forgotten Feelings" 8 — — More Country Soul 1967 "A Lost Highway" 51 — — Great Country Songs "All My Love" 23 — — All My Love 1968 "Ashes of Love" 37 — — The King of Country Soul "Good Morning, Dear" 71 — — "It's a Long, Long Way to Georgia" 12 — 20 More Country Soul "Ever Changing Mind" 30 — — The King of Country Soul 1969 "Solitary" 28 — — The Best of Don Gibson 2 "I Will Always" 21 — — singles only "There's a Story (Goin' 'Round)" (with Dottie West) 7 — — 1970 "Don't Take All Your Loving" 17 — 31 A Perfect Mountain "A Perfect Mountain" 16 — — "Someway" 37 — 31 Country Green 1971 "Guess Away the Blues" 19 — 4 "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle" 29 — 29 Hank Williams as Sung by Don Gibson "Country Green" 5 — 7 Country Green 1972 "Far, Far Away" (re-recording) 12 — 6 Woman (Sensuous Woman) "Woman (Sensuous Woman)" 1 — 1 "Is This the Best I'm Gonna Feel" 11 — 3 1973 "If You're Goin' Girl" 26 — 9 Touch the Morning / That's What I'll Do "Touch the Morning" 6 — 5 "That's What I'll Do" 30 — 83 "Snap Your Fingers" 12 — 23 Snap Your Fingers 1974 "One Day at a Time" 8 — 30 "Good Old Fashioned Country Love" (with Sue Thompson) 31 — 29 single only "Bring Back Your Love to Me" 9 — 14 Bring Back Your Love to Me 1975 "I'll Sing for You" 27 — — "(There She Goes) I Wish Her Well" 24 — 48 I'm the Loneliest Man "Don't Stop Loving Me" 43 — — Don't Stop Loving Me "I Don't Think I'll Ever (Get Over You)" 76 — — 1976 "You've Got to Stop Hurting Me Darling" 79 — — "Doing My Time" 39 — — I'm All Wrapped Up in You "I'm All Wrapped Up in You" 23 — — 1977 "Fan the Flame, Feed the Fire" 30 — — If You Ever Get to Houston "If You Ever Get to Houston (Look Me Down)" 16 — — "When Do We Stop Starting Over" 67 — — 1978 "Starting All Over Again" 16 — — Starting All Over Again "The Fool" 22 — — "Oh, Such a Stranger" 61 — — Look Who's Blue "I Love You Because" flip — — "Any Day Now" 26 — 31 1979 "Forever One Day at a Time" 37 — 33 singles only 1980 "Sweet Sensuous Sensations" 42 — — "I'd Be Crazy Over You" — — — "Love Fires" 80 — —

Singles from collaboration albums Year Single Artist Chart Positions Album US Country CAN Country 1969 "Rings of Gold" Dottie West 2 1 Dottie & Don "Sweet Memories" 32 — 1970 "Till I Can't Take It Anymore" 46 — 1971 "The Two of Us Together" Sue Thompson 50 — The Two of Us Together 1972 "Did You Ever Think" 71 — "I Think They Call It Love" 37 — "Cause I Love You" 64 — 1973 "Go with Me" 52 49 "Warm Love" 53 52 1975 "No One Will Ever Know" — — Oh, How Love Changes "Oh, How Love Changes" 36 — "Maybe Tomorrow" — — 1976 "Get Ready-Here I Come" 98 — "Let's Get Together" — —