Jimbeau Hinson

Jimbeau Hinson
Birth nameJames L. Hinson Jr.
Born (1952-10-29) October 29, 1952 (age 72)
Newton, Mississippi, U.S.
Died (aged 70)
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1969โ€“2022
LabelsWinkled

James L. Hinson Jr.[1] (October 29, 1952 โ€“ March 4, 2022), better known as Jimbeau Hinson, was an American country music singer-songwriter.

Hinson, along with co-writer Roy August, wrote the 1981 #1 Hot Country Songs hit, "Fancy Free", for The Oak Ridge Boys' album, Fancy Free (1981). The album was also a #1 on the Top Country Album chart and peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200.[2] In 2010, "Fancy Free" attained the BMI 2 Million Spins Award, with over 13 years of aggregate broadcast time.[3] Hinson wrote country hits for a number of artists, The Oak Ridge Boys, David Lee Murphy, Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea, Brenda Lee, John Conlee, Steve Earle. Additional, artists who have recorded his songs include: Reba McEntire, Lynn Anderson, and Carol Channing.[4]

Hinson performed as a country music from his teenage years in the late 1960s and began going by the name Jimbeau Hinson in the mid-1970s, to avoid any confusion with Muppets creator Jim Henson. Hinson signed a writing contract with The Wilburn Brothers publishing company at age seventeen and later recorded several singles for Chart Records. During the late 1970s, Hinson began a long-running relationship with The Oak Ridge Boys as a songwriter and assisted with the operations of their publishing company. In the late 1980s he was a contestant on Star Search.

Hinson released his first album as an artist, Strong Medicine, on Wrinkled Records in 2013.[5]

Hinson was openly bisexual,[6] although he was in a monogamous relationship with his wife Brenda from the 1980s. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1985.[7] He suffered a stroke in 2021, and recovered, but suffered a second stroke in early 2022. Hinson died on March 4, 2022, at the age of 70.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Jimbeau Hinson". discogs.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  2. ^ "The Oak Ridge Boys". Awards. AllMusic. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  3. ^ Webster, Kirt (9 August 2010). "OAK RIDGE BOYS DISH UP SOME 'FANCY' AIRTIME SONGWRITER RECEIVES A TWO-MILLION SPINS AWARD FROM BMI". Fancy Free. Hot Indie News. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013. Artists careers are built with milestone songs," adds Oak Ridge Boys manager Jim Halsey. "Songwriters Jimbeau Hinson and Roy August's "Fancy Free" was a corner stone song in the Oak Ridge Boys career. Thank you Jimbeau and Roy.
  4. ^ "Jimbeau Hinson". Credits. AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Jimbeau Hinson". Strong Medicine. AllMusic. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  6. ^ "HIV-Positive Country Star Jimbeau Hinson". HIV Plus Mag. 14 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Jimbeau Hinson | Wrinkled Records". www.wrinkledrecords.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-14.
  8. ^ "Songwriter Jimbeau Hinson passes away". Archived from the original on 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-07.