Mickey Gilley
Mickey Gilley
Mickey Leroy Gilleyis an American country music singer and musician. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the country charts, but the pop charts as well. Among his biggest hits are "Room Full of Roses," "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time," and the remake of the Soul hit "Stand by Me". He is also...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCountry Singer
Date of Birth9 March 1936
CityNatchez, MS
CountryUnited States of America
Ray Stevens also made a good success of it. He sold it, but financed the sale himself. Now, I just read where he's going to be back!
Well, I got people that help me with the restaurant. I don't have to be at the restaurant 24 hours a day.
'Cause I can make more money going in and doing my recordings and selling them through my entities that I have, rather than going to a record co. and them release a record and pay me 5 percent of what they make off it.
It's the same with the ballplayers. Babe Ruth spent a lot, too and the ballplayers make a lot more money now.
It's like Branson. When I went to Branson there was only 4 acts in there. Now, you can't count 'em. There's so many theatres now, that only the strong will survive.
Back then I thought if you cut a record, you were automatically a star.
I have the restaurant, too. I serve Southwest, barbecue.
I had seventeen No. 1 songs and I didn't see anything like that kind of money.
A lost of people recognize me and maybe will ask for an autograph, but it's nothing like if Elvis would've done something like that, 'cause he's so popular, or maybe The Beatles 'cause they stirred up a lot of action.
Don't all the girls get prettier at closing time?
My only failure was the restaurant in Myrtle Beach. I kept it open for four years. It was in a tourist town, it was only busy four and half, five months of the year. But the bills kept coming all year.
I had some airline stock, but the airlines tanked. I didn't have a lot of money in them, though.
I had a few stocks, but stocks took a dive. I never sell my stocks.
I guess the nicest thing about being, I won't say famous but being popular is a more proper word for me to use would be that if you've got a recognizable name, a lot of times you can get people to do things for you ordinarily that you wouldn't get done.