Sevier County father son duo have #1 chart hit

The Richmond father and duo hit the #1 Chart position for England's UK Country Radio.

SEVIERVILLE, TN — As Sevier County’s Donny Richmond and Donny Richmond Jr observe Father’s Day, they have an extra special blessing to be thankful for. Listed June 2014, at the #1 Chart position for England’s UK Country Radio, the duo has for the second month in a row, topped the charts with their recording of “Pray”. For 15 year old Donny Richmond Jr, the song was his very first professional recording, and accordingly, his very first #1! His dad, however, is no stranger to chart success, with a long string of chart entries in the U.S. and internationally. “Pray”, released April 2014, has appeared in at least 4 additional charts, including Top International Country Music Singles, Top International Gospel Singles, and Top U.S.A. Country Gospel Singles (GTE Music Magazine, June 2014) and Top Contemporary Inspirational Singles, listed in The Music Review. The hit is also currently finding a home internationally with pop music radio stations. It was anticipated that the recording would have “crossover” success, but Donny Jr says, “I never really expected this much – this goes beyond my wildest dreams”. Dad Donny, who is a 2007 recipient of country gospel music’s Living legend Award and many other Christian oriented accolades adds, “It’s wonderful to have a crossover hit, as long as you take The Cross over with you.”

The duo was featured in a Cover Story for GTE Music Magazine just prior to the international release. “Pray” is a remake of the 2010 Justin Bieber hit and was suggested to his dad by Donny Jr last year. Though the song was mainly only known in pop music circles, both agreed “Pray” has an inspirational message that can be used for good purposes. Deciding to record it, they went to Junior Mercer’s Pigeon Forge studio, where Donny has recorded many of his chart hits. Donny Jr was 14 at the time. A YouTube video recording of that experience is also receiving a lot of attention. Both Donny and Donny Jr are featured on their own pages at UK Country Radio’s website.

Donny’s most recent major release prior to “Pray” was his 2013 version of the classic, “I Believe”, which in February 2014 reached #1 on the international God’s Country Music Chart. Interestingly, in May 2014, “I Believe” was also still listed in UK Country Radio’s monthly Charts as #1 Best Seller, while freshly released “Pray” was #1 Most Played.

Donny Jr echoes his dad, “Using music to honor God is what it’s all about for us”.

Donny Sr was at the forefront of Nashville’s “Christian Country Music” movement of the 1990’s, which had a profound influence on the country and pop music industries. As a baby, Donny Jr was caressed by greats such as Barbara Mandrell, The Jordanaires, and Nashville’s finest musicians. Donny Jr was singing at age 2 on his dad’s syndicated TV program, “The Don Richmond Show”. One program in particular found young Donny performing such songs as “Jesus Loves The Little Children” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. As a toddler, Donny Jr could be found at his dad’s concerts “playing drums” on the backs of theater seats, with straws from the concession stand. From the age of 6, he and brother Carl (5 years his junior) appeared in acting roles in dad’s “Heartbreak Holiday” Christmas TV feature, and other programs which have aired on national TV networks around the globe.Young Donny has been heard giving a recitation with the Smoky Mountain Cowboy Church on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, Worldwide Christian Radio, and Music City Television. He was the winner at age 10 of the Sevierville 4-H speech contest, and at age 8, fearlessly gave a testimony before approx. 1,500 people at First Baptist Church of Sevierville. As a young teenager, Donny Jr has set lofty goals, and says he wants “to become as big, if not bigger than the ‘pop stars’ of today, but for a right reason. I want to be an actual role model, that people could look to for a positive influence.” When it comes to music, Donny Jr says, “Some ‘stars’ today seem to do things for a publicity stunt. I want to do things to honor Christ, as well as to bless people. And I pray that the music would bless the people listening to it.” For more information, visit their website at www.donnyrichmond.com.

Published June 11, 2014