Mickey Gilley

Mickey Gilley (b. Mickey Leroy Gilley March 9, 1936 in Natchez, Mississippi) is an American country music singer and Musician. Although he started out singing straight-up Country material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more Pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the Country charts, but the Pop charts as well. Gilley had 33 top-10 singles, 17 of which reached #1, on the U.S. Country chart between 1974 and 1986. Among his biggest hits are "Room Full of Roses," "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time," and the remake of the Soul Music hit "Stand By Me". He is also the cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl McVoy and Jimmy Swaggart.

In 1971 he opened the famous country nightclub Gilley's in Pasadena, Texas. The singer's career received a big boost when both the club and his music were featured prominently in the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy". The club closed in 1989 and the building was heavily damaged by arson later that year. A new Gilley's club opened in 2003 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.