In the history of the world, there are only a few songs that are so ubiquitous that people know the songs and slowly forget over the years which the artist was. However, the songs themselves are so beautiful and unforgettable that they live on in the minds and hearts of everyone who hears them. One such song is “The Most Beautiful Girl” by a country artist named Charlie Rich. It’s very likely that you or someone you know has hummed this song or even sung it aloud to someone in your lifetime. It’s a legendary song to be played for or sung for young ladies who are being courted by young gentlemen. However, how much do people really know about the history of this song and the man who wrote it?
“The Most Beautiful Girl” was written by Norro Wilson, Rory Bourke, and Billy Sherrill in the early 1970s. When the talented Charlie Rich released it in 1973, it quickly became a number one hit not just on the country charts, but also on the pop chart and the adult contemporary charts in both the U.S. and Canada. “The Most Beautiful Girl” originated as a song that came from the merging of two other songs written by Norro Wilson. Those two songs had the unlikely names of “Mama McCluskie” and “Hey Mister.” It’s a good thing they changed the name to “The Most Beautiful Girl” because neither of those two names sounds very romantic for a young man to sing to a young lady.
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The song “The Most Beautiful Girl” has been covered by several artists, including Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA fame, Slim Whitman, and Andy Williams. However, it’s the version sung by Charlie Rich in his deep southern voice, which made the song famous. He also won an American Music Award for his recording of this timeless piece of music. Charlie Rich died suddenly at the age of 62 of a pulmonary embolism in 1995. He and his wife were driving after seeing one of their sons. Also, a musician, perform live. A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that travels from the legs to the lung and often occurs when people sit still for long periods of time, such as when they’re traveling. Known as the “Silver Fox” because of his beautiful silver hair as he grew older, Charlie wasn’t a sly fox. He was married to the same sweet lady for 43 years, and they had four children together.
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Watch Charlie Rich perform “The Most Beautiful Girl” below in a rare live performance.
