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Sherwin Linton

Forever On the Stage...

About Me

A Country Music Legend, a true gentleman, a raconteur and storyteller, Sherwin Linton is a man with thousands of friends.

He launched his career in the music business in the mid 1950’s as a disc jockey and live performer of Rock-A-Billy Music on radio station KWAT in Watertown, South Dakota. Sherwin moved to Minneapolis in 1957, and expanded his territory from the Midwest to playing nightclubs and ballrooms throughout the country. He journeyed to Nashville in 1966 where he cut “Cotton King,” a song that catapulted him to the top of the Country charts. Roy Acuff, with whom Sherwin toured, was so impressed with Linton’s talents that Sherwin was signed to the legendary Acuff-Rose Publishing Company and Hickory Records, resulting in numerous TV show appearances and coast-to-coast tours.

Following the release of a 1971 live album “Hello I’m Not Johnny Cash” Linton received multiple national nominations from the CMA and ACM. Subsequent hits included the 1986 novelty song, “Santa Got A DWI,” an anti-drunk driving song that hit the charts and has become a Christmas favorite.

A member of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, the South Dakota Musicians Hall of Fame, and the National Traditional Country Music Hall of Fame, Sherwin continues to gig tirelessly with his Country – Rock-A-Billy Band, thrilling crowds with his warm smile and hot music.

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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/14/2007
Band Website: SherwinLinton.com
Band Members:


Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Sounds Like: Minneapolis Star Tribune - November 2, 2006Sherwin Sure Has Stories----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------By Chris Reimenschneider

Talking with Sherwin Linton is truly a trip, in the wowee-zowee sense and the winding road sense. You never really know whose name might nonchalantly drop into the conversation.

This week, for instance, Minnesota's most seasoned country singer randomly told me about how he almost recorded "Gentle On My Mind" before Glen Campbell did. How he collaborated on the song "Rapid City, South Dakota" with current Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman. How Cheryl Ladd used to get up and sing with him in her pre "Charlie's Angels" days!

To that end, Linton, 67, is celebrating 50 years in the music business with a two-day anniversary bash this weekend at the medina Entertainment Center. Expect more stories of this ilk at Saturday's dinner show and several different music sets Sunday afternoon (1-6 p.m.) "I kind of look at it as celebrating 50 years of friendship with so many people, more than just celebrating 50 years in music," said the ever-gracious South Dakota native.

Some of the friends he referred to are the many musicians who've performed and recorded with him over the years, everyone from banjo maestro John Hartford (who wrote "Gentle On My Mind" to drummer Kenny Horst (who now owns the Artists' Quarter) to one of the guys in Boogie Wonderland.

Linton got his start at 17 in the rockabilly band the Rocketeers, which became the Fenderbenders after he moved to Minneapolis in 1957. When his single "cotton King" became a hit in 1966, he started down the road to Nashville, where he recorded over the next decade and wound up a Country Music Association entertainer of the year nominee ion 1972 and 1973.

That (commercial) heyday is reflected on a new compilation CD, "1966-1975: Great years, Great Songs," which Linton is releasing in conjunction with his anniversary bash. Other songs on the 20-track compilation include "I'm Leaving For Good This Time," Mickey Newbury's "Sunshine" and the aforementioned "Rapid City, South Dakota."

One other nugget Sherwin dug up for this weekend: old film footage from a gig at the Holiday Inn Tavern in south Minneapolis around 1958, which shows him jumping from table to table. "I was quite a showman," he said with a laugh. He probably won't table-jump this weekend, but Linton thankfully hasn't lost that quality.


Record Label: Black Gold Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Sherwin named "Entertainer of the Year" at 2008 FAME awards!

Country Musician Sherwin Linton Named "Entertainer of the Year"at 2008 FAME Awards in TexasPharr, TX, February 18, 2008  Country music great Sherwin Linton was named "Entertainer of the Year" at the ...
Posted by Sherwin Linton on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:10:00 PST

Sherwin is Diggin' Dinos!

Music and science are meeting on the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota thanks to a great new walking exhibit sponsored by the Science Museum of Minnesota in celebration of their 100th Anniversary. Visit...
Posted by Sherwin Linton on Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:25:00 PST

Sherwin 2007 South Dakota Hall of Fame Inductee!

Founded in 1978, The South Dakota Hall Of Fame honors individuals who have lived some portion of their lives in the state of South Dakota and whose contributions garner public recognition. Sherwin Li...
Posted by Sherwin Linton on Fri, 11 May 2007 05:43:00 PST

Growing Up Country...Book Release

Growing up in rural South Dakota truly was "Growing Up Country." When Charlie Danniels invited me to participate in his new book by this title it wasn't long before my essay was penned. With this bo...
Posted by Sherwin Linton on Fri, 04 May 2007 06:03:00 PST