On this day (October 12) in 2019, Dallas Harms died in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 84. He scored several hits on the Canadian country charts in the 1970s and early ’80s, including the chart-topping “Honky Tonkin’ (All Night Long).” Harm’s success as a songwriter and recording artist brought him several industry awards and a place in the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Some of the songs he wrote became hits for Gene Watson in the United States.
Harms started his career in his local club scene in the mid-1950s. His growing popularity led to a regular spot on the Main Street Jamboree radio show, according to Beyond the Dash. In the early 1960s, he began bouncing from one record label to the next but didn’t find the chart or commercial success he was looking for. Finally, in the early ’70s, his recording career took off after signing with Columbia Records.
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In 1972, he broke into the top 10 for the first time with “In the Loving Arms of My Marie.” It peaked at No. 8 on the Canadian country chart. He followed that with a string of top 40 hits, including “Paper Rosie,” “Old Ira Gray,” and “Ruby’s Lips.”
Harms’ biggest hits came near the end of his recording career. In 1977, he notched his second top 10 with “It’s Crying Time for Me.” A year later, he landed in the chart’s upper region again with “The Fastest Girl” and “I Picked a Daisy.” In 1982, his sole No. 1 single, “Honky Tonkin’ (All Night Long),” started a string of three top 10 hits.
In the mid-1980s, Harms stepped away from recording but continued writing songs and producing for other artists.
Dallas Harms Finds American Chart Success
Dallas Harms didn’t find success as a recording artist in the United States. However, his songs reached the Billboard country charts thanks to artists like Gene Watson.
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In 1977, Watson released his version of “Paper Rosie.” It went to No. 3 in the United States and topped the Canadian country chart, outperforming Harms’ original. He notched another hit later that year with Harms’ “The Old Man and His Horn.” Then, in 1978, he charted again with “Cowboys Don’t Get Lucky All the Time.” In 1990, Watson’s version of the song appeared in Another 48 Hrs., starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte.
Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns
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UNITED KINGDOM – WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of Gene WATSON, Country Music festival (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – American Rock musician David Lee Roth, of the group Van Halen, performs onstage at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, March 4, 1978. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Cal Smith Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
American Country musician Tanya Tucker performs onstage at the Bottom Line, in Greenwich Village, New York, New York, December 13, 1978. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images) -
ATLANTA – Singer-songwriter John Prine performs at Atlanta Symphony Halll on April 23, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Tom Hill/Getty Images)
