James William Gilreath, born on November 14, 1936, in Una, Clay County, Mississippi, is an American singer. He began his musical career in the early 1960s as a member of 'The Nite-Liters,' a local band that recorded "Nervous" in 1962 on Vee Eight Records. Gilreath's first single, released by the same label in 1962, featured "I Need It" and "Time Hasn't Helped," but it did not achieve significant success. His breakthrough came with "Little Band of Gold", released by Statue Records in early 1963. The song reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 19 on the R&B chart, also peaking at number 29 in the UK Singles Chart. Following this success, Gilreath released several other singles, including "Lollipops, Lace, and Lipstick" and "Keep Her Out of Sight," but none matched the impact of "Little Band of Gold". In 1965, he shifted his focus to songwriting after Joy Records ceased operations. Notable covers of "Little Band of Gold" include those by Sonny James in 1975, which reached number 5 on the country music chart, and Vince Hill's inclusion on his 1966 album You're My World. Gilreath married Kay Long in 1972, and they lived in Saltillo, Mississippi. He died in a tractor accident on September 7, 2003, at the age of 66.
