Country, gospel singer Barbara Fairchild to perform in Yuma
Barbara Fairchild, a country and gospel singer whose 1973 hit “The Teddy Bear Song” earned her one of two Grammy Award nominees, will make three appearance in the Yuma area, beginning Thursday.
Fairchild will appear Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Foothills Assembly of God Church, 12831 E. 41st St., again on Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at Community Christian Church, 6480 E. Highway 95, and on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Cocopah Bend RV & Golf Resort, 6800 Strand Ave.
All appearances are free, although free will offerings will be accepted.
Fairchild will be accompanied by her husband, singer and songwriter Roy Morris, in performances that blend country with a little comedy. The stops here are part of a tour the couple kicked off after having previously appeared over 25 years in Branson, Mo., in Sunday worship services for visitors and in their own performances in that country music venue.
Fairchild was still a teenager when she recorded her first single. Not long after that, she reached a pivotal moment in her life and career, she recounts on her website.
“Even though I was raised in the church throughout my childhood, a relationship with Jesus Christ became very personal to me one Sunday morning in August of 1971. On my knees in a church in Nashville, Tenn., Jesus Christ invaded my life. That’s the best way I can describe that encounter.”
“I was pursuing a country music career at the time and I have enjoyed many years and made wonderful life-long friends in that field of music. But nothing compares to the exceeding greatness of knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord.”
In 1973, Fairchild’s success soared with her rendition of “The Teddy Bear Song,” a country single penned by Don Earl and Nick Nixon that expressed the female protagonist’s heartbreak over a broken relationship. It climbed to the top of Billboard’s country charts and earned her a Grammy nomination.
Later she received a second Grammy nomination in the children’s category for “Lullaby for Teddy.”
Her television appearances have included “The Tonight Show,” “Hee Haw,” “The CMA Music Awards” and the three-part special, “A Country Homecoming,” hosted by Ralph Emery.
Her husband divides his time between producing and performing in “The Statler Bros. Revisited Show,” a musical tribute in Branson, and appearing with Fairchild on the road.
After a quarter-century of appearing and performing in the Sunday service in Branson, the couple decided they wanted the flexibility to appear in concerts and ministry events around the country.