JOE HINTON

Not much is known about Joe Hinton. Depending on which source you believe, he was born either in Clarksdale, Mississippi, or Evansville, Indiana, on November 15, 1929. He was married to LaVerne Flowers, and they did have children.

Hinton got his start singing spirituals with the Blair Gospel Singers, the Chosen Gospel Quartet, and the Spirit of Memphis Quartet. Producer Don Robey, who owned the Duke-Peacock-Back Beat family of labels, asked Hinton to try secular music. The singer made his earliest recordings for Peacock in 1958. It was not, however, until 1963 that Hinton saw any real success. His fifth single, “You Know It Ain’t Right,” went top five on Billboard magazine’s Rhythm & Blues chart, followed by “Better to Give Than Receive.”

The year 1964 gave Joe Hinton his biggest hit, when he recorded a Deep Soul version of Willie Nelson’s “Funny How Time Slips Away.” For whatever reason, the title was shortened to “Funny.” It spent four weeks at #1 on the R&B chart and reached #13 pop, becoming Hinton’s only single to do well on the Billboard Hot 100. “Funny” was also a certified million-seller.

Joe Hinton, 38, died of skin cancer in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 13, 1968.

Charted singles:

“You Know It Ain’t Right” (1963) R&B #5, Pop #88
“Better to Give Than Receive” (1963) Pop #89
“Funny” (1964) R&B (4 weeks), Pop #13
“A Thousand Cups of Happiness” (1964) R&B #19, Pop #111
“I Want a Little Girl” (1965) R&B #34, Pop #132