Freddy Weller

Freddy Weller
Weller in 1969
Background information
Birth name	Wilton Frederick Weller
Born	(1943-09-09) September 9, 1943 (age 81) Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer, guitarist, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1969–present
Labels	Columbia

Wilton Frederick "Freddy" Weller (born September 9, 1943)[1] is an American rock and roll and country music and artist. He recorded for Columbia Records between 1969 and 1980. He had his highest charted single in 1969 with his debut release, "Games People Play".

Biography

Early career

He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.[2] Weller played in a high school group, The Believers, which also included Joe South.[2] One of his first recording sessions was playing guitar on Billy Joe Royal's 1965 track, "Down in the Boondocks", which was written by South.[2]

Paul Revere & the Raiders

Main article: Paul Revere & the Raiders § The "Happening" era

His recording career continued in 1967, as lead guitarist in the band Paul Revere & The Raiders.[2] Around the time he joined the band, the group's two main members, Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere, had just started hosting the show Happening '68. The other Raiders members, Charlie Coe, Keith Allison, and Joe Correro Jr, acted as the show's in-studio houseband. He penned their 1969 hit "We Gotta All Get Together".[3]

Weller remained in the Raiders until its split in 1975. The group soon reformed without Weller.

Solo

Weller recorded many rock and roll and country songs, such as Joe South's "'Games People Play", which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1969;[2] Chuck Berry's "The Promised Land" and "Too Much Monkey Business", "She Loves Me Right Out Of My Mind", "Indian Lake", both 1971, and many others. Weller also played guitar backing for both South and Royal.[1] He co-wrote "Dizzy" and "Jam Up and Jelly Tight", which were hits for Tommy Roe in 1969 and 1970.[2]

After releasing his 1980 single "Lost In Austin" and his 1982 studio album Ramblin' Man, Weller would semi-retire from the music industry, not making another release for thirty years, when he released the single "Your Memory Walks Through Walls" in 2010.

Discography

With Paul Revere & the Raiders

Main article: Paul Revere & the Raiders discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details
1967	A Christmas Present ... And Past
1968	Goin' to Memphis
	Something Happening
1969	Hard 'N' Heavy (with Marshmallow)
	Alias Pink Puzz
1970	Collage
1971	Indian Reservation
1972	Country Wine

Singles

Song Titles	Year
"I Had A Dream" b/w "Upon Your Leaving"	1967
"Peace Of Mind" / "Do Unto Others"
"Rain, Sleet, Snow" b/w "Brotherly Love" Cancelled single
"Too Much Talk" b/w "Happening '68"	1968
"Don't Take It So Hard" b/w "Observation From Flight 285 (In 3/4 Time)"
"Cinderella Sunshine" b/w "Theme From It's Happening" (Non-Lp track)
"Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" b/w "Without You"	1969
"Let Me" b/w "I Don't Know"
"We Gotta All Get Together" b/w "Frankfort Side Street" (from Alias Pink Puzz)
"Just Seventeen" b/w "Sorceress With Blue Eyes"	1970
"Gone Movin' On" (re-recorded version of Lp track from Revolution!) b/w "Interlude (To Be Forgotten)"
"Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)" b/w "Terry's Tune" (Non-Lp track)	1971
"Birds of a Feather" b/w "The Turkey"
"Country Wine" b/w "It's So Hard Getting Up Today" (Non-Lp track)	1972
"Powder Blue Mercedes Queen" b/w "Golden Girls Sometimes"
"Song Seller" b/w "A Simple Song"
"Love Music" b/w "Goodbye No. 9"	1973
"All Over You" b/w "Seaboard Line Boogie"	1974
"Your Love (Is The Only Love)" b/w "Gonna Have A Good Time"	1975
"Ain't Nothin' Wrong"/ b/w "You're Really Saying Something"	1976

Solo

Albums

Year	Album	Chart Positions
		US Country	US
1969	Games People Play	8	144
1970	Listen to the Young Folks	—	—
1971	Another Night of Love	22	—
1972	The Promised Land	—	—
	The Roadmaster	39	—
1973	Too Much Monkey Business	32	—
1974	Sexy Lady	24	—
1975	Freddy Weller's Greatest Hits	34	—
	Freddy Weller	34	—
1976	Liquor, Love & Life	44	—
1977	One Man Show	—	—
1978	Love Got in the Way	—	—
1980	Go For the Night	—	—
1982	Ramblin' Man	—	—

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions			Album
		US Country	US Bubbling	CAN Country
1969	"Games People Play"	2	—	—	Games People Play
	"These Are Not My People"	5	13	—
	"Down in the Boondocks"	25	—	—	Listen to the Young Folks
1970	"I Shook the Hand"	75	—	—
1971	"The Promised Land"	3	25	9	The Promised Land / Another Night of Love
	"Indian Lake"	3	8	4
	"Another Night of Love"	5	—	13
1972	"Ballad of a Hillbilly Singer"	26	—	12	The Roadmaster
	"The Roadmaster"	17	—	29
	"She Loves Me (Right Out of My Mind)"	11	—	3
1973	"Too Much Monkey Business"	8	—	7	Too Much Monkey Business
	"The Perfect Stranger"	13	—	7
1974	"I've Just Got to Know (How Loving You Would Be)"	11	—	11	Sexy Lady
	"Sexy Lady"	21	—	22
	"You're Not Getting Older (You're Getting Better)"	16	—	20
1975	"Love You Back to Georgia"	64	—	—	Freddy Weller
	"Stone Crazy"	52	—	—
1976	"Ask Any Old Cheater Who Knows"	42	—	—	Liquor, Love and Life
	"Liquor, Love and Life"	44	—	—
	"Room 269"	56	—	—
1977	"Strawberry Curls"	79	—	—	One Man Show
	"Merry-Go-Round"	41	—	—
	"Nobody Cares But You"	44	—	—
1978	"Let Me Fall Back in Your Arms"	93	—	—	single only
	"Bar Wars"	32	—	58	Love Got in the Way
	"Love Got in the Way"	23	—	34
1979	"Fantasy Island"	27	—	32
	"Nadine"	40	—	53	singles only
	"That Run-Away Woman of Mine"	44	—	—
	"Go for the Night"	33	—	—	Go for the Night
1980	"A Million Old Goodbyes"	66	—	—
	"Lost in Austin"	45	—	51
2010	"Your Memory Walks Through Walls"	—	—	—	single only

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 452. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
2. Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 437. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
3. "Collage - The Raiders | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 11, 2021.

External links

• Freddy Weller at Allmusic.com
• Freddy Weller