# O. B. McClinton

Obie Burnett "O. B." McClinton (April 25, 1940 – September 23, 1987) was an American black country music singer and songwriter. The second-youngest child born to Rev. G. A. McClinton, a clergyman and farmer who owned a 700-acre (2.8 km$^2$) ranch near Memphis, Tennessee. Listening to Hank Williams as a child around the age of nine or 10 sparked his interest in performing country music.
Before beginning his country music career, he tried to break into R&B. Although he was unable to secure a recording contract as a soul singer himself, he did pen several songs recorded by James Carr, including the title songs to Carr's albums You Got My Mind Messed Up and A Man Needs a Woman.
Known to refer to himself as the "Chocolate Cowboy", McClinton successfully marketed his album called The Only One on television long before the practice was commonplace. Featuring his first country chart single "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You", a top 40 song in 1972, he considered it to be his finest work.
He died on September 23, 1987, after a year-long battle with abdominal cancer.

## Discography
### Albums

| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
| 1971 | O.B. McClinton Country | — | Enterprise |
| 1973 | Obie From Senatobie | — | Enterprise |
| 1973 | Live at Randy's Rodeo | — | Enterprise |
| 1974 | If You Loved Her That Way | — | Enterprise |
| 1981 | The Chocolate Cowboy | — | Lakeshore Music |
| 1986 | O.B. McClinton | — | Hometown |
| 1987 | The Only One | 55 | Epic |
| 1988 | Just For You | — | CBS/Hometown |

### Singles

| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Chart Positions | Album | Label |
| Year | Single | US Country | CAN Country | US Cashbox Country Singles | US Record World Country Singles | Album | Label |
| 1964 | "Tradin' Stamps"† | — | — | — | — | singles only | Beale Street |
| 1965 | "The Day The World Cried"† | — | — | — | — | singles only | Goldwax |
| 1965 | "She's Better Than You"± | — | — | — | — | singles only | Goldwax |
| 1966 | "Trying To Make It"† | — | — | — | — | singles only | Goldwax |
| 1971 | "Country Music, That's My Thing" | — | — | — | — | O.B. McClinton Country | Enterprise |
| 1971 | "Bad Guys Don't Always Wear Black Hats" | — | — | — | — | O.B. McClinton Country | Enterprise |
| 1972 | "Deep In The Heart Of Me" | — | — | — | — | O.B. McClinton Country | Enterprise |
| 1972 | "Six Pack of Trouble" | 70 | — | — | 57 | Obie From Senatobie | Enterprise |
| 1972 | "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You" | 37 | 72 | 31 | 38 | Obie From Senatobie | Enterprise |
| 1973 | "My Whole World Is Falling Down" | 36 | — | 39 | 35 | Obie From Senatobie | Enterprise |
| 1973 | "I Wish It Would Rain" | 67 | — | 59 | 57 | Obie From Senatobie | Enterprise |
| 1973 | "You Don't Miss Your Water" | — | — | — | — | single only | Enterprise |
| 1973 | "The Unluckiest Songwriter In Nashville" | — | — | 85 | — | Obie From Senatobie | Enterprise |
| 1974 | "Something Better" | 62 | — | 71 | 65 | If You Loved Her That Way | Enterprise |
| 1974 | "If You Loved Her That Way" | 86 | — | 87 | — | If You Loved Her That Way | Enterprise |
| 1974 | "Blind, Crippled and Crazy" | — | — | — | — | singles only | Enterprise |
| 1974 | "Yours and Mine" | 77 | — | 84 | 72 | singles only | Enterprise |
| 1975 | "The Most Wanted Woman (Is An Unloved Wife)" | — | — | — | — | singles only | Enterprise |
| 1975 | "Just In Case" | — | — | — | — | singles only | Mercury |
| 1976 | "It's So Good Lovin' You" | 100 | — | 71 | — | singles only | Mercury |
| 1976 | "Black Speck" | — | — | 103 | — | singles only | Mercury |
| 1976 | "Let's Just Celebrate The Temporary" | — | — | — | — | singles only | Mercury |
| 1977 | "Country Roots" | — | — | — | — | singles only | ABC/Dot |
| 1977 | "Talk To My Children's Mama" | — | — | — | — | singles only | ABC/Dot |
| 1978 | "Hello, This Is Anna" (w/ Peggy Jo Adams) | 90 | — | 84 | 89 | singles only | Epic |
| 1978 | "Natural Love" | 82 | — | 73 | 76 | singles only | Epic |
| 1979 | "The Real Thing" | 79 | — | 66 | 72 | singles only | Epic |
| 1979 | "Soap" | 58 | — | 46 | 53 | singles only | Epic |
| 1980 | "Not Exactly Free"‡ | 62 | — | 77 | 75 | The Chocolate Cowboy | Sunbird |
| 1984 | "Honky Tonk Tan" | 69 | — | — | — | Just For You | Moonshine |
| 1984 | "Last Rights" | — | — | — | — | singles only | Moonshine |
| 1986 | "Everybody's Talking About Ol' Herb ("The Whopper Song")" | — | — | — | — | singles only | Track |
| 1987 | "Turn the Music On" | 61 | — | — | — | The Only One | Epic |
| 1987 | "Still A Wanted Man" | — | — | — | — | The Only One | Epic |
† "Oboe" ± "Oboe with The Keys" ‡ "O.B. McClinton (The Chocolate Cowboy)"