The World Famous Ultimate Twang: "Teddy Bear" Red Sovine Single Of The Day

Greetings from Asheville, where there’s always good music to find. Today’s Single Of The Day is unquestionably a classic in Country music, and it’s also a single that seems to be one that you either love or else find unbearingly sappy. No middle ground, here.

Woodrow Wilson “Red” Sovine is best remembered for his recitations that could emit strong emotions, both ways. Despite the fact that he was a talented vocalist, his three biggest hits were of this particular ilk; “Giddy-Up Go”, “Phantom 309″, and today’s Single Of The Day, “Teddy Bear”.

Red Sovine scored only thirteen Country 40 singles between 1955 and 1976, but six were able to claim spots in the top ten, including three number ones.

“Teddy Bear” was released by Starday Records in May, 1976, and made it’s Country 40 debut on our nation’s 200th birthday, July 4. The single raced up the charts to number one, where it spent three of it’s eight total weeks on the Country 40. The single sold heavily, which helped it make a brief appearance on the Pop Top 40, where it peaked at forty. The single would ultimately be Red Sovine’s final Country 40 entry.

As I previously stated, it’s a song that people either love or find sappy and unlistenable. For those who love the song, they can’t get enough of it, even today. It’s a tale of a young crippled boy who talks to truckers via the CB radio in his home, and, after telling his tale to one trucker, in particular (the narrator), seemingly all of the drivers who heard him have come to his home, each giving him a ride in their rig.

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