Charles Allan Rich - better known as Charlie Rich - came to country stardom late. Though he scored his first hit single in 1960, the favorite son of Colt, Arkansas had trouble following it up with any consistency. But once the big hits started coming in 1972 with a pair of Kenny O'Dell songs - "I Take It On Home" and "Behind Closed Doors" - Rich established himself as one of C&W's most versatile and beloved entertainers. Varese Vintage has recently celebrated the legacy of Rich (1932-1995) with a new anthology, 25 All-Time Greatest Hits, collecting for the first time on one CD his biggest hits for RCA Victor and Epic Records between 1968 and 1979.

Rich took to music from a young age, learning piano and playing saxophone in his high school band. After enrolling at Arkansas State College on a football scholarship, he soon transferred to the University of Arkansas as a music major. He continued to play while enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, and upon leaving the military, he made a reputation around the Memphis R&B club scene. His early demos were rejected by Sun Records' legendary Sam Phillips as too jazz-oriented and not commercial enough, but undeterred, Rich continued to aim for a career at Sun, and was eventually hired by Phillips as a session musician and songwriter. Sam signed Rich as a performer to his Phillips International subsidiary, and Rich's third single "Lonely Weekends" earned him a No. 22 Pop hit in 1960.

His next singles all failed to register, however, and he left Sun for RCA Victor's Groove imprint in 1963. At Groove, he "bubbled under" the Hot 100 with a few minor hits before hitting big (No. 21 Pop) with 1965's "Mohair Sam" on Mercury's Smash imprint.  But history repeated itself, and Rich couldn't build on its success. After a brief stint at Hi Records, he signed to Epic in 1967 under the auspices of producer Billy Sherrill. The countrypolitan king had faith that the lush, string-laden sound would prove right for Charlie Rich's potent croon. 25 All-Time Greatest Hits begins here, with minor hits like "Life's Little Ups and Downs" (written by Charlie's wife Margaret) which barely missed the Country top 40 at No. 41, and a spirited revival of the Frank Sinatra staple "Nice 'n' Easy" which barely made it at No. 37.

After Rich had been with the label for over four years, Sherrill's belief in him paid off when Kenny O'Dell's "I Take It On Home" and "Behind Closed Doors" went to No. 6 and No. 1, respectively. The latter even "crossed over" to the Pop chart with a No. 15 placement. Soon, the hits kept on a-comin'. Sherrill, Rory Bourke and Norro Wilson's "The Most Beautiful Girl" made No. 1 on both charts in 1973, and Sherrill and Wilson's "A Very Special Love Song" did almost as well at No. 1 Country/No. 11 Pop. RCA wanted in on the act, too, and dipped into its archives for a series of singles culled from his mid-sixties tenure. These songs, too, performed remarkably well. Rich's own "There Won't Be Anymore" made No. 1 Country/No. 18 Pop, Harlan Howard's "She Called Me Baby" went No. 1 Country/No. 47 Pop, and so on. All told, 25 All-Time Greatest Hits features nine Country chart-toppers from both Epic and RCA from the halcyon period which saw Rich win Grammys and American Music Awards, and recognitions from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.

The range of the Silver Fox, as he was deemed for his mane of gray hair, is evident here on the strength of both the original material and eclectic covers of Sherrill and Curly Putnam's "My Elusive Dreams," Bert Kaempfert's "Spanish Eyes," Buddy Johnson's doo-wop staple "Since I Fell for You" and even "America the Beautiful" with a dramatic recitation in time for the bicentennial. Varese's compilation concludes with "Spanish Eyes" and the chart-topping Janie Fricke duet "On My Knees," but Rich continued to record for labels including Elektra and United Artists before taking off from the recording studio for much of the 1980s. This collection features new liner notes by Laurence Zwisohn, and it has been remastered by Steve Massie.

We would like Charlie Rich's 25 All-Time Greatest Hits to be YOURS! To enter to win ONE OF FIFTEEN COPIES, simply LIKE our Facebook page, and head over to Varese Sarabande's FB page and do the same! Just leave us a comment on the CHARLIE RICH post on our FB page. Let us know: What's your favorite song of Charlie's? Do you have any memories of the late Rich? Once you like both pages and comment anything you'd like to share about Charlie, you'll automatically be entered to win!

If you've entered our previous giveaways and have already liked BOTH The Second Disc and Varese's Facebook page, you can still win: simply enter a comment on our thread to be entered! Only one entry per person. Remember, BOTH FB pages must be "LIKED" and a comment left on our page in order to win!

Don't have Facebook? We're not leaving you out in the cold! Just send an e-mail to theseconddisc AT gmail DOT com with the subject line "CHARLIE RICH" plus your name and mailing address, and you'll also be entered to win!

The contest ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on the evening of Friday, November 6, at which time 15 random winners will be selected. Contest open to all. Only one entry per person either via Facebook or email. All winners at sole discretion of The Second Disc. U.S. residents only, please. This contest is NOT affiliated with or endorsed by Facebook. Winner will be notified the week of Monday, November 9 via Facebook and The Second Disc, so remember to check back! Good luck!

Charlie Rich's 25 All-Time Greatest Hits is available now from Varese Vintage at the links below!

Charlie Rich, 25 All-Time Greatest Hits (Varese Vintage 302 067 350 8, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

1. Set Me Free (Epic single 10287, 1968)
2. Life's Little Ups and Downs (Epic single 10492, 1969)
3. Nice 'n' Easy (Epic single 10662, 1970)
4. A Part of Your Life (Epic single 10809, 1971)
5. I Take It On Home (Epic single 10867, 1972)
6. Behind Closed Doors (Epic single 10950, 1973)
7. Tomorrow Night (rec. 1965 - reissued RCA Victor 0983, 1973)
8. The Most Beautiful Girl (Epic single 32247, 1973)
9. There Won't Be Anymore (rec. 1966 - reissued RCA Victor single 0195, 1973)
10. A Very Special Love Song (Epic single 11091, 1974)
11. I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore (rec. 1965 - reissued RCA Victor single 0260, 1974)
12. I Love My Friend (Epic single 20006, 1974)
13. She Called Me Baby - with The Jordanaires (rec. 1965 - reissued RCA Victor single 10062, 1974)
14. My Elusive Dreams (Single Edit) (Epic single 50064, 1975)
15. Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High) (Epic single 50103, 1975)
16. All Over Me (Epic single 50142, 1975)
17. Since I Fell for You (Epic single 50182, 1976)
18. America the Beautiful (1976) (Epic single 50222, 1976)
19. Road Song (Epic single 50268, 1976)
20. My Mountain Dew (rec. 1963 - reissued RCA Victor single 10859, 1977)
21. Easy Look (Epic single 50328, 1977)
22. Rollin' with the Flow (Epic single 50392, 1977)
23. Beautiful Woman (Epic single 50562, 1978)
24. On My Knees - with Janie Fricke (Epic single 50616, 1978)
25. Spanish Eyes (Epic single 50701, 1979)