Donna Fargo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Donna Fargo | ||
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 Donna Fargo's 20th Century Masters album
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Yvonne Vaughan | |
| Born | November 10, 1945 | |
| Origin | Mount Airy, North Carolina | |
| Genre(s) | country music/pop music | |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter | |
| Years active | 1972-Present | |
| Label(s) | Mercury Records | |
| Associated acts |
Jeanne Pruett, Lynn Anderson | |
| Website | Donna Fargo Official Fan Club | |
Donna Fargo (born Yvonne Vaughan on November 10, 1945 in Mount Airy, North Carolina) is a Country Music singer. She is best known for her 1972 Country/Pop crossover hit "The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA". She had more success on the Country charts soon after.
Contents |
[edit] First Career & Rise to Fame
Donna Fargo, a native of North Carolina has been known for her lighthearted Pop songs, like her signature song "The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA". Her career came quickly and made her a successful singer throughout the 1970s. Her voice had its share of rural in it and southern twang. She proved that she could sing Pop music as well, being compared to the likes of Crystal Gayle and Lynn Anderson.
Donna Fargo was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina in 1945. Mount Airy was an area of North Carlolina that was well-known for its traditional mountain music. As a child, she sang quite a bit. Instead of persuing a career in music, she went into teaching instead out in Los Angeles, becoming a high school English teacher. In Los Angeles, she met Stan Silver, who she later married. Stan Silver was also the man who was going to bring Donna into the music buisness. In the 1960s, Fargo recorded for a couple of small labels. These labels for example were called Ramco and Challenge. However, she never really gained much success with these labels.
[edit] The Success of "The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA"
The songs that Fargo recorded for these labels, like "Who's Been Sleeping On My Side of the Bed" and "Daddy" only showed what still lurked inside of Fargo that was ready to burst out at any time. In the early 70s she wrote and recorded the song "The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA". In 1972, her whole life would change when the single was picked up by Dot Records. Also, with the help of her husband, the song was released that year and turned into a major Country hit and a big Pop hit. Her single sold over a million copies and made Donna a star over night.
In 1973, she had more success with the song when it won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
[edit] The Height of Her Career
Donna Fargo's career remained very successful for the rest of the 1970s. Her follow-up song, "Funny Face" proved to be another Country/Pop crossover hit. This proved, that a girl who sounded more Country than crossover material, could still make it big as a crossover star too. Few Country singers could say things like this and could be compared to the reanks of Lynn Anderson for example. She achieved other major hits. These hits were "You Were Always There", "Superman", "You Can't Be a Beacon If Your Light Don't Shine" and "Mr. Doodles". She also made remakes like "Mockingbird Hill" and "Walk On By" that also proved to be successful in her career.
She had brief TV show too called The Donna Fargo Show that was produced by the Osmond Brothers. However, the show only lasted a year, from first starting in 1978. As the 70s progressed, Donna moved more and more away from Pop material and more back to her roots.
By the end of the 1970s, her chart success was beginning to fade away.
[edit] Illness
In 1978 Fargo announced that she had multiple sclerosis. the good thing about the disease was that it didn't halt her career. This helped her because she was able to record and perform.
[edit] Decline & Life Today
Donna Fargo's chart success began to fade away after her illness. She continued to record and perform. In 1981, she recorded a Gospel album called Brotehrly Love. She also had minor hit, which was duet with Billy Joe Royal in 1986. That same year, she signed on with Mercury Records and made the album called Winners, which featured her minor hit duet called "Members Only".
In 1991, she recorded the song "Soldier Boy", which was reference to the Gulf War in the Middle East.
Donna Fargo has only been occasionally active in the music business since the early 1990s, but since that period has established a successful line of greeting cards and has written several collections of poetry and inspirational prose.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Hit Singles
| Year | Single | Album | U.S. Country | U.S. Pop | U.S. A.C. | |
| 1972 | "The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA" | The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA | #1 | #11 | #7 | |
| 1972 | "Funny Face" | The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA | #1 | #5 | #5 | |
| 1973 | "Superman" | My Second Album | #1 | #41 | - | |
| 1973 | "You Were Always There" | My Second Album | #1 | #93 | - | |
| 1973 | "Little Girl Gone" | All About a Feeling | #2 | #57 | - | |
| 1974 | "I'll Try a Little Bit Harder" | All About a Feeling | #6 | - | - | |
| 1974 | "U.S. of A." | Miss Donna | #9 | #86 | - | |
| 1974 | "You Can't Be a Beacon (If Your Light Don't Shine)" | Miss Donna | #1 | #57 | - | |
| 1975 | "It Do Feel Good" | Miss Donna | #7 | #98 | - | |
| 1975 | "Hello Little Bluebird" | Whatever I Say Means I Love You | #14 | - | - | |
| 1975 | "Whatever I Say (Means I Love You)" | Whatever I Say Means I Love You | #38 | - | - | |
| 1976 | "What Will the New Year Bring?" | Whatever I Say Means I Love You | #58 | - | - | |
| 1976 | "You're Not Charlie Brown" | Whatever I Say Means I Love You | #60 | - | - | |
| 1977 | "Don't Be Angry" | The Best | #3 | - | - | |
| 1977 | "Shame On Me" | Shame On Me | #8 | - | - | |
| 1977 | "That Was Yesterday" | Shame On Me | #1 | - | - | |
| 1978 | "Ragamuffin Man" | Shame On Me | #19 | - | - | |
| 1978 | "Another Goodbye" | Dark-Eyed Lady | #10 | - | - | |
| 1978 | "Do I Love You (Yes In Every Way)" | Fargo Country | #2 | - | - | |
| 1979 | "Daddy" | Just For You | #14 | - | - | |
| 1979 | "Somebody Special" | Dark-Eyed Lady | #6 | - | - | |
| 1980 | "Land of Cotton" | Fargo | #63 | - | ||
| 1980 | "Seeing Is Believing" | Fargo | #55 | - | - |
[edit] Selected Albums
| Year | Album | U.S. Country | |
| 1972 | The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA | #1 | |
| 1973 | My Second Album | #1 | |
| 1973 | All About a Feeling | #5 | |
| 1974 | Miss Donna | #4 | |
| 1975 | Whatever I Say Means I Love You | #25 | |
| 1976 | On the Move | #31 | |
| 1977 | The Best | #9 | |
| 1977 | Fargo Country | #11 | |
| 1977 | Shame On Me | #18 | |
| 1978 | Dark-Eyed Lady | #20 | |
| 1979 | Just For You | - | |
| 1980 | Fargo | - | |
| 1981 | Brotherly Love | - | |
| 1986 | Winners | - | |
| 1997 | The Best of Donna Fargo | - | |
| 2002 | 20th Century Masters | - |
[edit] Awards
[edit] Grammy Awards
[edit] Sources
- Country Music: The Rough Guide; Wolff, Kurt; Penguin Publishing
- LP Discography.com
- All Music Guide.com
