Tompall & the Glaser Brothers

Tompall & The Glaser Brothers
Tompall & The Glaser Brothers in 1980
Background information
Origin	Spalding, Nebraska, United States
Genres	Country
Years active	1950s-1973, 1979–1982
Labels	Decca, Vocalion, MGM/Curb, Elektra
Past members	Chuck Glaser Jim Glaser Tompall Glaser

Tompall & the Glaser Brothers were an American country music group composed of three brothers: Chuck (Charles Vernon Glaser, Jim (James William Glaser), and Tompall (Thomas Paul Glaser). The trio were the sons of Alice Marie Harriet Davis Glaser and Louis Nicholas Glaser of Spalding, Nebraska. The Glaser Brothers started singing together at country fairs and contests in and around the Spalding area when they were preteens. In 1957 the group got their big break when they appeared on the Arthur Godfrey's Talent Show and attracted the attention of several well known country stars, including Marty Robbins. Marty quickly signed them as backup singers on his albums and as solo artists on his record label. The brother's first single Five Penny Nickel, was released in 1958 on Robbin's Records.

Between 1960 and 1975, the trio recorded ten studio albums and charted nine singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. (Their material for Bravo Records was released under the name The Charleston Trio.) The Glasers became members of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1960s. The group was the most awarded group in country music in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They went on to be known world wide and were awarded " Billboards International Group of the Year" multiple times. The group took a hiatus from 1973 to 1978, during which time, each brother pursued individual interests. They reunited in 1979 and released several singles and two albums including, Loving Her Was Easier, which reached #2 on the Billboard charts.

The brothers took on, and changed the Nashville's country music machine in several dramatic ways. For example, in 1962 the Glaser Brothers started a publishing company, and began to take on songwriters that other name brand studios had chosen to ignore. One of those songwriters was John Hartford, who wrote one Gentle on My Mind, a song that has been recorded by over 300 artists including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell among others. The popularity of the song is enormous as it has been recorded between 400–600 times and it has been performed live over 6 million times.