# Cymarron

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{{short description|American soft rock group}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background      = group_or_band
| name            = 
| image           = 
| image_size      = 
| image_upright   = 
| landscape       = 
| alt             = 
| caption         = 
| origin          = [Memphis, Tennessee](/source/Memphis%2C_Tennessee), U.S.
| genre           = [Soft rock](/source/Soft_rock)
| years_active    = 1971-1972
| label           = [Columbia](/source/Columbia_Records)/Entrance
| spinoffs        = [The Remingtons](/source/The_Remingtons)
| past_members    = {{hlist|Richard Mainegra|Sherrill Parks|Rick Yancey}}
}}
'''Cymarron''' was an American [soft rock](/source/soft_rock) [band](/source/band_(music)) from [Memphis, Tennessee](/source/Memphis%2C_Tennessee). They are most famous for their song "[Rings](/source/Rings_(song))", a number 17 [hit](/source/hit_record) in 1971.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=HOT 100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kQEAAAAMBAJ&q=cymarron+%26+rings&pg=PA56 |magazine=Billboard |page=56 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc |date=1971-08-14 |access-date=2016-06-04}}</ref> The recording went to No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 66 in Australia.<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=80}}</ref> "Rings" was also the first single release on [Columbia](/source/Columbia_Records)'s Entrance [label](/source/record_label). The band released a follow-up single, "Valerie" which was not as successful, peaking at 96<ref name="Whitburn">{{cite book| last = Whitburn| first = Joel| title = The Comparison Book Billboard/Cash Box/Record World 1954–1982| publisher = Sheridan Books| year = 2015| isbn = 978-0-89820-213-7}}</ref> on the [Billboard Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100) and 19<ref name="Whitburn AC">{{cite book|first= Joel |last= Whitburn |authorlink= Joel Whitburn |year= 2007 |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2006 |publisher= Record Research| isbn = 978-0-89820-169-7}}</ref> on the Adult Contemporary chart. An album, also called "Rings" was released which reached 187<ref name="Whitburn Albums">{{cite book| last = Whitburn| first = Joel| title = Top Pop Albums 1955-2016| publisher = Prometheus Global Media| year = 2018| isbn = 978-0-89820-226-7}}</ref> on the [Billboard 200](/source/Billboard_200) album chart. Cymarron was composed of Rick Yancey (December 31, 1947 – September 10, 2021),<ref name="obiRYancey">{{cite web |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/booneville-ms/ricky-yancey-10353687|title=Obituary Ricky Yancey|website=dignitymemorial.com}}</ref> Sherrill Parks (July 21, 1948 - July 24, 2022), and Richard Mainegra.<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Popular_Music)|editor=[Colin Larkin](/source/Colin_Larkin_(writer))|publisher=[Guinness Publishing](/source/Guinness_Publishing)|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=611}}</ref> They named their group after ''[Cimarron Strip](/source/Cimarron_Strip)'' - a short-lived [TV](/source/Television) [western](/source/Western_(genre)) from 1967.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

The band's only top 20 hit, "Rings" was written by outside [songwriter](/source/songwriter)s [Eddie Reeves](/source/Eddie_Reeves) and [Alex Harvey](/source/Alex_Harvey_(country_musician)), and [produced](/source/record_producer) by [Chips Moman](/source/Chips_Moman).<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Moman had earlier hired Yancey as a [studio](/source/recording_studio) [musician](/source/musician). Yancey wrote the [flip-side](/source/A-side_and_B-side) of their popular single, the song "Like Children". The song "Rings" was subsequently [covered](/source/cover_version) by both [Lobo](/source/Lobo_(musician)) and Reuben Howell in 1974.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/cymarron.html|title=Cymarron - Songs|website=Allbutforgottenoldies.net|access-date=21 August 2021}}</ref> Lobo's version was released as a single which reached 43 on the [Billboard Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100) and number 8 on the [Easy Listening](/source/Adult_Contemporary_(chart)) chart.  The song was also recorded in 1983 by [Leo Kottke](/source/Leo_Kottke) for his album, ''[Time Step](/source/Time_Step_(Leo_Kottke_album))''. Cymarron achieved little other success, despite releasing another [album](/source/album) and several other singles.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

In 1991, Yancey and Mainegra joined [Jimmy Griffin](/source/Jimmy_Griffin) in forming the [country music](/source/country_music) band [The Remingtons](/source/The_Remingtons).<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t6fXPucJupIC&q=%22richard+mainegra%22&pg=PA320 |title = Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios|isbn = 9781604734027|last1 = Jones|first1 = Roben|date = 2010-11-12| publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi }}</ref> Yancey and Griffin also performed together as GYG until Griffin's death in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.drewreid.com/html/gyg_cd.html|title=Music|website=Drewreid.com|access-date=21 August 2021}}</ref>

Yancey, singer and guitarist, died in [Nashville](/source/Nashville), Tennessee, on September 10, 2021, at age 73.<ref name="obiRYancey"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Cymarron.html Oldies.com Biography]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050921111604/http://www.pophistorynow.com/popculturefiles/askmrpophistory_q144.htm Mr. Pop History]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um-x9fmXQrE The song "Rings"]

{{Authority control}}

Category:1971 establishments in Tennessee
Category:American soft rock music groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1971
Category:Musical groups from Memphis, Tennessee

{{US-rock-band-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cymarron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymarron) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymarron?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.