Early life

Charlotte Denise McClain was born March 26, 1956 to Virginia Jo (née Wiggins; May 18, 1934 - September 25, 2009) and Niles B. McClain (October 11, 1931) in Memphis, Tennessee. The nickname "Charly" would come from the neighborhood friends that she played with as a child. McClain would later go on to use it when she began her career playing hotel lounges. Her first experience recording was when father Niles had tuberculosis when she was eight. As she was under age to comply with hospital visiting policy, she had to communicate with him through a tape recorder. That inspired her interest in recording. She began her musical career at age twelve performing with her brother Mike and their band, Charlotte & The Volunteers. The band would perform together for the next six years. Her first TV appearance was on the local WBBJ morning show in Jackson, Tennessee. By the age of seventeen, she was a regular on the club circuit, and appeared at the Memphis show Mid-South Jamboree from 1973-1975.

Career

1976 - 1980: Country beginnings

At the age of twenty, McClain signed her first recording contract with Epic Records in 1976. McClain's distinct vocal sound provided an edge in recognizability—as did her attractive appearance.

McClain debuted in late 1976 with her first single, "Lay Down," which peaked at No. 67 on the Billboard Country Chart. McClain's initial singles in 1976 and 1977, from her debut album Here's Charly McClain, failed to chart highly on the Country charts.

McClain's second album, Let Me Be Your Baby, was released in 1978. She hit country's Top Ten for the first time in 1978 with "That's What You Do to Me," followed by two other Top 25 hits, "Let Me Be Your Baby," and "Take Me Back."

In 1979 McClain released Alone Too Long (1979), which included the Top-20 hits "When A Love Ain't Right" and "You're a Part of Me". The Women Get Lonely album followed in 1980, featuring the Top 10 hit "Men", which peaked at No. 7 in 1980, and the Top-20 duet with Johnny Rodriguez, "I Hate the Way I Love It." However, breakthrough success still eluded McClain.

1981 - 1989: Breakthrough

McClain hit No. 1 on the Country charts in 1981 with Who's Cheatin' Who." This brought McClain breakthrough success for the 1980s. In 1981, McClain scored three Top-10 hits off her Surround Me with Love album: the title track, "Sleepin' with the Radio On", and "The Very Best is You". McClain's albums were beginning to become more successful as well. Her Who's Cheatin' Who album peaked at No. 28 on the Top Country Albums chart, and her 1981 album, Surround Me With Love went to number 9.

In 1983, McClain hit No. 1 with her Mickey Gilley duet "Paradise Tonight." "McClain's and Gilley's duet partnership became so successful, they released a duet album the following year titledIt Takes Believers. The record contained the Top-5 hit, "Candy Man" (#5 on the Billboard Country Chart), and the top twenty hit, "The Right Stuff.

McClain also acted, appearing as a guest star on such shows as Hart to Hart (in 1981 episode titled "Rhinestone Harts") and CHiPs (in 1983 episode "Country Action"). McClain's lonely life on the road was also chronicled in a 1981 HBO special titled So You Want to Be a Star.

After having a series of hit singles in 1984, McClain released another best-selling album, Radio Heart in 1985. The album's title track became a No. 1 Country hit in 1985; McClain's last No. 1 to date. The album also spawned two other Top-10 hits that year. McClain married former soap star Wayne Massey in 1984, and their duet "With Just One Look in Your Eyes" reached number five. The third single off the album was also a duet with Massey. It was titled "You Are My Music, You Are My Song." The Radio Heart album peaked at No. 15 on the Top Country Albums chart in 1985.

After 1986, McClain's success began to subside. Her 1987 Still I Stay album brought only one Top 40 single; "Don't Touch Me There" peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Country Chart. The album became McClain's last album with Epic. Upon fulfilling her contract, she parted ways with the record label the following year. She continued to chart until her last recording came in 1989. She recorded one studio album with Mercury Records before the end of the decade. Her last charted single was "You Got the Job", which peaked at No. 65.

1990 - present: Current status

McClain has not recorded a studio album since 1989's self-titled album on Mercury Records. Preferring to spend more time with her husband Wayne and their families, McClain retired completely from touring, public appearances, and performances in the early 1990s. Later, she helped to care for her mother Virginia before she died in 2009.

Like many other talented female vocalists that have had to be away from home for extended periods, Charly McClain did not have children. She does, however, have a step son, Judd, with husband Wayne Massey.

Several compilation albums of Charly McClain's music have been released over the years. Probably the most noteworthy of these is 1999's Anthology. It included all of McClain's successful singles from her career with Epic. She continues to reside with her husband of over thirty years in southwest Tennessee.

Discography

Main article: Charly McClain discography

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Sleepin' With The Radio On"	Stephen Allen Davis	2:52
2.	"The Very Best Is You"	Frank Stevens, Larry Shell	2:47
3.	"Men"	Ronny Scaife, Isaac Hayes	2:30
4.	"Sentimental Ol' You"	Pat McManus, Bob DiPiero	3:32
5.	"Paradise Tonight" (duet with Mickey Gilley)	Mark Wright, Bill Kenner	3:01
6.	"That's What You Do To Me"	Bob Morrison, Johnny MacRae	2:13
7.	"When A Love Ain't Right"	Johnny Wilson, Bob Morrison	2:51
8.	"Dancing Your Memory Away"	Eddie Burton, Thomas Grant	3:27
9.	"Who's Cheatin' Who"	Jerry Hayes	2:10
10.	"Surround Me With Love"	Norro Wilson, Wayland Holyfield	3:55

[ Source: Wikipedia ]