Today’s classic song of the day is a one-hit wonder by folk singer Danny O’Keefe. The song is “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” and it peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
Danny O’Keefe wrote “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” and first recorded it in 1967. That version never got released, however. Before O’Keefe could release his own version, a group called the Bards (not the Byrds, as I initially read it) released it as the B-side to their 1968 single, “Tunesmith,” which tanked. O’Keefe first included the song on his 1971 self-titled debut album. He then re-recorded it, with a more natural, fluteless arrangement, and included that version on his 1972 album, O’Keefe. That version is the one that was released as a single in August of 1972 and racked up enough radio play and sales to become a Top Ten hit.
Over the years, “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” became a favorite of many different artists, especially country singers. Among the performers to cover O’Keefe’s tune were Elvis Presley, Leon Russell, Charlie Rich, Dwight Yokum, Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty, Willie Nelson, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The great Mel Tormé even sang the song on an episode of the original Night Court television show.
Danny O’Keefe first started performing in 1968 as part of a psychedelic rock band named Calliope. He quickly abandoned the feedback-laden electric guitars and struck out as a folksinger at the dawn of the ’70s singer-songwriter era. “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” was his only solo hit, although he also wrote “The Road,” which was covered by Jackson Browne on his 1977 Running on Empty album. Other songs written by O’Keefe were performed by Glen Campbell, Leo Sayer, Judy Collins, Donny Hathaway, Jimmy Buffett, Alison Krauss, and others. O’Keefe is still out there performing and recording today at 81 years of age.
And here’s your daily bonus track of the day, Elvis Presley putting his own spin on “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” from his 1974 album, Good Rockin’ Tonight. It’s fairly faithful to O’Keefe’s original.
