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"Rings" is a song which in 1971 became a Top 20 Pop hit for the Memphis band Cymarron, also becoming a Top Ten C&W hit for Tompall & the Glaser Brothers.

Composition/ First Recordings

"Rings" was composed by Eddie Reeves, who headed the West Coast office of United Artists Music, and Alex Harvey who was contracted to United Artists Music. The song was written for the wedding of a friend of Reeves named Bob Hamilton who - as the song's lyrics indicate - had experienced an estrangement and reconciliation with his fiancée: the song concludes with the couple "hand in hand...upon the sand with the preacher man" - a reference to Hamilton and his bride's exchanging vows on the Venice beachfront. The lyrics also reference James Taylor - the couple's favorite song being "Fire and Rain" - and also mention Tony and Mario who were the owners of a Hollywood restaurant the couple frequented.^[1]

Besides Alex Harvey, Eddie Reeves recruited Mac Davis to co-write the song but ultimately Davis was unavailable for the songwriting session. "Rings" was written at Harvey's Hollywood apartment where Reeves at the piano began playing the C-F-G chord progression of a song Harvey had previously written causing Harvey to opine that the same progression be used for the new song. Reeves had already explained his idea of using the word"ring[s]" in different connotations throughout the song to Harvey who quickly came up with a first verse lyric after which Reeves quickly came up with a second verse: after a break to eat their TV dinners the two composers then contributed alternate lines to the third and final verse. As planned Reeves and Harvey introduced "Rings" at the wedding reception brunch which followed the beachfront ceremony, Harvey singing to his own guitar accompaniment with Reeves harmonizing on the second part of each verse, with the song's composers obliging several encore requests throughout the day's festivities.^[1]^[2]

Soon afterwards Reeves and Harvey made a recording of the song at the end of a demo recording session booked for Harvey at Quantum Sound Studio in Torrance: although there was reportedly no original intent other than gifting the newlyweds with the recording a demo copy was heard by singer-songwriter Mike Settle who instigated the first full recording of "Rings" by a session group helmed by himself and the song's two writers with Harvey singing lead, the track being credited to Running Bear and Goldstein. Having little faith in the prospects for the Running Bear and Goldstein version of "Rings", Reeves had no reservations about pitching the song to the producer of Lonnie Mack for whom the song was optioned with Mack recording the "Rings" for his 1971 album Indiana Hills.

Cymarron version

At around the time of the Lonnie Mack recording, Bob Hamilton, whose wedding had generated the song, played "Rings" for Memphis Mafioso Marty Lacker through whom the song reached Chips Moman founder of the legendary Memphis recording studio American Sound. Moman recorded the group with a trio of American Sound session musicians he'd recently signed to record as Cymarron^[1] whose lead singer Richard Mainegra would recall: "We weren't exactly thrilled with it. The demo was really country-soundin' and slow and we were writin' our own stuff and soundin' a lot more Eagles-ish. But [Moman] told us to go upstairs and work it up the way we'd be happy with it. So we changed a chord or two and livened it up a bit".^[3]

According to Eddie Reeves: "The Cymarron record was rush released and received strong immediate airplay, some of which came from major markets radio stations programmed by some of the attendees of Bob [Hamilton's]] wedding. [Also] Bob was in the business of consulting many radio stations and he was not shy about touting the attributes of his...wedding song."^[1] "Rings" would peak at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1971, its peak on the magazine's Easy Listening chart being #6.^[4]

Tompall & the Glaser Brothers version

Tompall & the Glaser Brothers recorded "Rings" in a June 1971 session at Glaser Sound Studio in Nashville:^[5] reaching #7 C&W the track was included on the 1972 album release Rings & Things. This version adjusted the line: "We've got James Taylor on the stereo" to "We've got Merle Haggard..."

Chart performance

Chart (1971)	Peak position
U.S. Record World Country	1
U.S. Cash Box Country	5
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles ^[6]	7
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	21

1974 remakes

In the summer of 1974 a remake of "Rings" by Lobo, taken from his album Just a Singer, reached #43 on the Billboard Hot 100, besting a concurrent remake on by Reuben Howeel - taken from the Motown album release Rings cut at Muscle Shoals - which reached #86. (The Lobo version subbed "Jim Croce" for the original's James Taylor reference, which in Howell's version was adjusted to "the Allman Brothers".)

Other versions

The song's co-writer Alex Harvey recorded rings for his 1972 album Souvenirs.
Nina & Mike (de) recorded the song as "Ring Ring" with lyrics in German (by Jack White) for the duo's 1973 album Rund um die Welt mit Nina & Mike.
Twiggy remade "Rings" for 1977 album Please Get My Name Right (UK #35).
Doctor Hook had a 1982 European single release with a remake of "Rings".
Leo Kottke recorded "Rings" for his 1983 album Time Step.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/eddie_reeves/
^ http://eddiereevesmusic.com/four.html
^ Jones, Roben (2010). Memphis Boys: the story of American Studios. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-60473-401-0.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ http://countrydiscoghraphy2.blogspot.ca/2014/11/tompall-glaser-glaser-brothers.html
^ Whitburn, Joel (August 2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 163. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.

This 1970s single–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[Song_Facts-1] ttp://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/eddie_reeves/

[Eddie_Reeves_Music-2] ttp://eddiereevesmusic.com/four.html

[3] Jones, Roben (2010). Memphis Boys: the story of American Studios. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-60473-401-0.

[4] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[5] ttp://countrydiscoghraphy2.blogspot.ca/2014/11/tompall-glaser-glaser-brothers.html

[whitburn-6] Whitburn, Joel (August 2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 163. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.

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@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 *     Feel free to try your editing skills below     *
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-'''"Rings"''' is a song recorded by [[Tompall & the Glaser Brothers]] in 1971. The song spent fifteen weeks on the ''Billboard'' country singles charts, reaching a peak of number seven.
+'''"Rings"''' is a song which in 1971 became a Top 20 Pop hit for the [[Memphis]] band [[Cymarron]], also becoming a Top Ten [[Hot Country Songs|C&W hit]] for [[Tompall & the Glaser Brothers]].
+==Composition/ First Recordings==
-==Background==
-"Rings" was composed by [[Eddie Reeves]] and Alex Harvey: Reeves was a Texas-born singer and songwriter who in 1968 had established the West Coast office of [[United Artists Records|United Artists Music]] for whom Alex Harvey, originally from Tennessee, was a contracted singer-songwriter. The song was written for the [[Venice, Los Angeles|Venice]] beachfront wedding of a friend of Reeves: Reeves had the idea of using the word "rings" in different connotations throughout the song - including wedding ring- and wedding bell-references - and also to make lyrical references of personal significance to the affianced couple, such as citing Tony and Mario - the owners of the [[Cahuenga Boulevard]] restaurant the couple frequented - and also [[James Taylor]], singer of the couple's favorite song "[[Fire and Rain]]".<ref name="Song Facts">http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/eddie_reeves/</ref>
+"Rings" was composed by [[Eddie Reeves]], who headed the West Coast office of [[United Artists Records|United Artists Music]], and Alex Harvey who was contracted to United Artists Music. The song was written for the wedding of a friend of Reeves named Bob Hamilton who - as the song's lyrics indicate - had experienced an estrangement and reconciliation with his fiancée: the song concludes with the couple "hand in hand<span style="font-size: 65%">...</span>upon the sand with the preacher man" - a reference to Hamilton and his bride's exchanging vows on the [[Venice, California|Venice]] beachfront. The lyrics also reference [[James Taylor]] - the couple's favorite song being "[[Fire and Rain]]" - and also mention Tony and Mario who were the owners of a Hollywood restaurant the couple frequented.<ref name="Song Facts">http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/eddie_reeves/</ref>
-Besides Alex Harvey, Eddie Reeves recruited [[Mac Davis]] to co-write the song but ultimately Davis was unavailable for the songwriting session. "Rings" was written at Harvey's [[Hollywood]] apartment where Reeves at the piano began playing the C-F-G chord progression of a song Harvey had previously written causing Harvey to opine that the same progression be used for the new song: after Harvey quickly came up with a first verse lyric, Reeves quickly came up with a second then - after a break to eat their [[TV dinner]]s - the two composers contributed alternate lines to the third and final verse.  As planned Reeves and Harvey introduced "Rings" at the [[wedding reception]] brunch - Harvey sang the song to his own guitar accompaniment with Reeves harmonizing on the second part of each verse - with the song's composers obliging several encore requests throughout the day's festivities.<ref name="Song Facts"/><ref name="Eddie Reeves Music">http://eddiereevesmusic.com/four.html</ref>
+Besides Alex Harvey, Eddie Reeves recruited [[Mac Davis]] to co-write the song but ultimately Davis was unavailable for the songwriting session. "Rings" was written at Harvey's [[Hollywood]] apartment where Reeves at the piano began playing the C-F-G chord progression of a song Harvey had previously written causing Harvey to opine that the same progression be used for the new song. Reeves had already explained his idea of using the word"ring[s]" in different connotations throughout the song to Harvey who quickly came up with a first verse lyric after which Reeves quickly came up with a second verse: after a break to eat their [[TV dinner]]s the two composers then  contributed alternate lines to the third and final verse. As planned Reeves and Harvey introduced "Rings" at the [[wedding reception]] brunch which followed the beachfront ceremony, Harvey singing to his own guitar accompaniment with Reeves harmonizing on the second part of each verse, with the song's composers obliging several encore requests throughout the day's festivities.<ref name="Song Facts"/><ref name="Eddie Reeves Music">http://eddiereevesmusic.com/four.html</ref>
-Soon afterwards Reeves and Harvey made a recording of the song at the end of a [[demo (music)|demo]] recording session booked for Harvey at Quantum Sound Studio in [[Torrance]]: although there was reportedly no original intent other than gifting the newlyweds with the recording a demo copy was heard by singer-songwriter [[Mike Settle]] who instigated the first full recording of "Rings" by a session group helmed by himself and the song's two writers with Harvey singing lead, the track being credited to Running Bear and Goldstein. Having little faith in the prospects for the Running Bear and Goldstein version of "Rings", Reeves had no reservations about pitching the song to the producer of [[Lonnie Mack]] for whom the song was optioned:at around the same time Bob Hamilton, whose wedding had generated the song, played "Rings" for [[Memphis Mafia|Memphis Mafioso]] Marty Lacker through whom the song reached [[Chips Moman]] founder of the legendary [[Memphis]] recording studio [[American Sound Studio|American Sound]]. Moman recorded the group with a trio of American Sound session musicians he'd recently signed to record as [[Cymarron]]<ref name="Song Facts"/> whose lead singer Richard Mainegra would recall: "We weren't exactly thrilled with it. The demo was really country-soundin' and slow and we were writin' our own stuff and soundin' a lot more [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]]-ish. But [Moman] told us to go upstairs and work it up the way we'd be happy with it. So we changed a chord or two and livened it up a bit".<ref>{{cite book| last=Jones| first=Roben| title=Memphis Boys: the story of American Studios| publisher=University Press of Mississippi| location=Jackson| year=2010| isbn=978-1-60473-401-0| page=315}}</ref>
+Soon afterwards Reeves and Harvey made a recording of the song at the end of a [[demo (music)|demo]] recording session booked for Harvey at Quantum Sound Studio in [[Torrance]]: although there was reportedly no original intent other than gifting the newlyweds with the recording a demo copy was heard by singer-songwriter [[Mike Settle]] who instigated the first full recording of "Rings" by a session group helmed by himself and the song's two writers with Harvey singing lead, the track being credited to Running Bear and Goldstein. Having little faith in the prospects for the Running Bear and Goldstein version of "Rings", Reeves had no reservations about pitching the song to the producer of [[Lonnie Mack]] for whom the song was optioned with Mack recording the "Rings" for his 1971 album ''Indiana Hills''.
+==Cymarron version==
-According to Eddie Reeves: "The Cymarron record was rush released and received strong immediate airplay, some of which came from major markets radio stations programmed by some of the attendees of Bob [Hamilton's]] wedding. [Also] Bob was in the business of consulting many radio stations and he was not shy about touting the attributes of his<span style="font-size: 65%">...</span>wedding song."<ref name="Song Facts"/> "Rings" would peak at #17 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100 in August 1971, its peak on the magazine's [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Easy Listening chart]] being #6.<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref>
+At around the time of the Lonnie Mack recording, Bob Hamilton, whose wedding had generated the song, played "Rings" for [[Memphis Mafia|Memphis Mafioso]] Marty Lacker through whom the song reached [[Chips Moman]] founder of the legendary [[Memphis]] recording studio [[American Sound Studio|American Sound]]. Moman recorded the group with a trio of American Sound session musicians he'd recently signed to record as [[Cymarron]]<ref name="Song Facts"/> whose lead singer Richard Mainegra would recall: "We weren't exactly thrilled with it. The demo was really country-soundin' and slow and we were writin' our own stuff and soundin' a lot more [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]]-ish. But [Moman] told us to go upstairs and work it up the way we'd be happy with it. So we changed a chord or two and livened it up a bit".<ref>{{cite book| last=Jones| first=Roben| title=Memphis Boys: the story of American Studios| publisher=University Press of Mississippi| location=Jackson| year=2010| isbn=978-1-60473-401-0| page=315}}</ref>
+According to Eddie Reeves: "The Cymarron record was rush released and received strong immediate airplay, some of which came from major markets radio stations programmed by some of the attendees of Bob [Hamilton's]] wedding. [Also] Bob was in the business of consulting many radio stations and he was not shy about touting the attributes of his<span style="font-size: 65%">...</span>wedding song."<ref name="Song Facts"/> "Rings" would peak at #17 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in August 1971, its peak on the magazine's [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Easy Listening chart]] being #6.<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref>
-==Cover versions==
-* The [[Lonnie Mack]] version was featured on his 1971 album ''The Hills Of Indiana''.
-* The song was the career record for [[Tompall & The Glaser Brothers]] reaching #7 on the [[Hot Country Songs|''Billboard'' C&W chart]]
-* [[Lobo (musician)|Lobo]] published his version in 1974 (US #43).
-* [[Twiggy]] published her version in 1977 from her album ''Please Get My Name Right'' (UK #35).
+==Tompall & the Glaser Brothers version==
-==Chart performance==
+[[Tompall & the Glaser Brothers]] recorded "Rings" in a June 1971 session at Glaser Sound Studio in [[Nashville]]:<ref>http://countrydiscoghraphy2.blogspot.ca/2014/11/tompall-glaser-glaser-brothers.html</ref> reaching #7 [[Hot Country Songs|C&W]] the track was included on the 1972 album release ''Rings & Things''. This version adjusted the line: "We've got James Taylor on the stereo" to "We've got [[Merle Haggard]]<span style="font-size:65%">...</span>"
+===Chart performance===
 {|class="wikitable sortable"
 !Chart (1971)
@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 |align="center"|21
 |}
+==1974 remakes==
+In the summer of 1974 a remake of "Rings" by [[Lobo (musician)|Lobo]], taken from his album ''Just a Singer'', reached #43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, besting a concurrent remake on by Reuben Howeel - taken from the [[Motown Records|Motown]] album release ''Rings'' cut at [[Muscle Shoals Sound Studio|Muscle Shoals]] - which reached #86. (The Lobo version subbed "Jim Croce" for the original's James Taylor reference, which in Howell's version was adjusted to "the Allman Brothers".)
+==Other versions==
+* The song's co-writer Alex Harvey recorded rings for his 1972 album ''Souvenirs''.
+* [[Nina & Mike]] ([[:de:Nina & Mike|de]]) recorded the song as "Ring Ring" with lyrics in German (by [[Jack White]]) for the duo's 1973 album ''Rund um die Welt mit Nina & Mike''.
+* [[Twiggy]] remade "Rings" for 1977 album ''Please Get My Name Right'' (UK #35).
+* [[Doctor Hook]] had a 1982 European single release with a remake of "Rings".
+* [[Leo Kottke]] recorded "Rings" for his 1983 album ''Time Step''.
 == References ==