Eugene Church (January 22, 1938 – April 3, 1993)[1] was an American R&B singer and songwriter.

Church was born in St. Louis, Missouri.[1] In the 1950s, he collaborated with Jesse Belvin releasing singles on Modern Records as The Cliques. Their 1956 single, "The Girl in My Dreams" b/w "I Wanna Know Why", peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]

Late in the 1950s, he released four singles of his own, as Eugene Church & the Fellows. The first two were U.S. hits: "Pretty Girls Everywhere" went No. 6 R&B, No. 36 Pop, and "Miami" hit No. 14 R&B and No. 67 Pop.[3] They were followed by "Good News" and "Mind Your Own Business", neither of which charted. Church later pursued a career in gospel music in Dallas, Texas, and returned to secular music in the 1990s in doo-wop revues.[4]

Church died from cancer in Los Angeles, California in April 1993, at age 55.[1]

Discography

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2020)

• Modern Records 987 - '"Girl of My Dreams" / "I Wanna Know Why" 1956
• Modern Records 995 - "I'm in Love (With a Girl)" / "My Desire" 1956
• Specialty Records 604 - "Open Up Your Heart" / "How Long" 1957
• Contender Records - "It's True" (with The Hollywood Saxons) 1958
• Knight Records 2012 - "Deacon Dan Tucker" / "Little Darling" 1958
• Class Records 235 - "Pretty Girls Everywhere" / "For the Rest of My Life" 1958
• Class Records 254 - "Miami" / "I Ain't Goin' For That" 1959
• Class Records 261 - "Jack of All Trades" / "Without Soul" 1959
• Class Records 266 - "The Struttin' Kind" / "That's What's Happnin'" 1960
• Rendezvous 132 - "Good News" / "Polly" 1960
• King Records 5545 - "Mind Your Own Business" / "You Got the Right Idea" 1961
• King Records 5589 - "That's All I Want" / "Geneva" 1962
• King Records 5610 - "Light of the Moon" / "I'm Your Taboo Man" 1962
• King Records 5659 - "The Right Girl, the Right Time" / "Pretty Baby Won't You Come on Home" 1962
• King Records 5715 - "Time Has Brought About a Change" / "Sixteen Tons" 1963

References