Charlie Rich: Life's Little Ups And Downs

BOB DYLAN HAS SAID more than once that Charlie Rich is one of his favorite musicians – as a songwriter and as a singer. Nik Cohn, in Rock From the Beginning, names Rich as one of the handful of men in the history of rock who've had real talent, along with Phil Spector, John Lennon, Pete Townshend, Eddie Cochran, and a few others. Perhaps you'd remember 'Mohair Sam' from the '50s; perhaps not. His albums, those that are still in print, are not carried by "hip" record stores; ask for them and you'll find yourself handed a stack of big band LPs by Buddy Rich.