Five Country Singing Legends Worth Listening to Today

They’ve inspired big names in country music and yet it seems many who have not been long time country fans don’t know who they are. Newer fans take heed – it’s worth digging up these treasures from people lost far too young but whom live on in recorded versions of songs and music.

1. Jim Reeves – It just wasn’t – and isn’t! – Christmas until Jim Reeves’ country classic Christmas album (now cd) makes it to the player. The rich voice and the songs – not ones often recorded today – brought the solemn thought of the occasion as well as the celebration of. With my dad being a Jim Reeves fan we were exposed early on to a voice that is a treasure and a classic in country music. He brought the bitter cold to “The Blizzard” and tears when remembering “Old Tige” as well as many other songs which have been classic favorites. Jim Reeves was born August 20, 1923 in Texas. Among the songs he made famous are “He’ll Have To Go,” “Welcome To My World,” and “Am I Losing You” as well as songs like “An Old Christmas Card”. He initially had a career in minor league baseball and worked as announcer on radio station KWKH in Shreveport Louisiana. On July 31, 1964 he was piloting a small plane from Batesville Arkansas to Nashville. As they approached Nashville a violent thunderstorm brought the plane down and Reeves as well as his business partner, manager and pianist Dean Manuel were killed. On August 11 Jim Reeves will be remembered with a star on the Walkways of Stars in Shreveport Louisiana. His family maintains one of several websites dedicated to the late singer with a golden voice.

2. Conway Twitty – Jeff Bates and Kenny Chesney both do a tribute to Conway Twitty during their shows and Blake Shelton recut “Goodbye Time. Conway had 55 number one singles with more than 50 million records sold. Those are statistics – the people inspired and touched by Conway’s music and the wonderful duets with Loretta Lynn have stood the test of time as a measure of a country song. He, too, has a website still maintained for fans who have not gone away. While his music spanned five decades there are a few songs that are undeniably his forever. Born on September 1, 1933 Harold Lloyd Jenkins in Friars Point Mississippi. He had an early gift for music. and had a weekly radio show as well as playing semi-pro baseball. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, but it wasn’t to be – the U.S. Army’s draft held priority. He played in a band as well as on a local Army baseball team and in the mid 1950s he was released from the Army when another Mississippi native, Elvis Presley, was gaining a great deal of popularity. He took a stage name by combining Conway (Arkansas) and Twitty (Texas) and in 1958 “It’s Only Make Believe” became his first number one hit. With hits in country and some ventured to rock music and a short music career he gained incredible popularity. He was an incredible songwriter in his own right and was pitched many songs. His signature song “Hello Darlin’ was just one that earned a Grammy nomination. In June 1993 Conway was lost much too soon in Springfield Missouri to an abdominal aneurysm. A paragraph is not nearly enough to describe his life accomplishments.

3. Eddie Rabbitt – Born November 27, 1941 in East Orange New Jersey Eddie Rabbitt was a very successful crossover artist with hits in country and pop music. He started in music as a songwriter – George Morgan was one of those who cut his songs. In 1970 a song called “Kentucky Rain” caught the interest of Elvis Presley and brought Eddie into the spotlight. His first single gathered some airplay but his first #1 was with “Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind)”. He followed up with the anguished “You Don’t Love Me Anymore” “Suspicions” and “Every Which Way But Loose.” In 1977 he was named Top New Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music. Then his prospects got brighter still in the early ’80s with the smash hits “I Love A Rainy Night” and “Drivin’ My Life Away.” His concert audiences spanned the music genre. He was in the shadows with the rise of Garth, Clint Black, Alan Jackson and others in the early ’90s but he continued to tour and record, although not as much as previously due to the loss of a son as well as his own battles. On May 7, 1990 Eddie Rabbitt passed away from Lung Cancer.

4. Keith Whitley – Born July 1, 1955 in Sandy Hook Kentucky Jackie Keith Whitley etched a place in country music. He worked on creating his own style. His first Top Twenty hit “Miami, My Amy” gathered interest in country fans. His first album was released in 1984 but the second, L.A. To Miami, held some chart success. Two songs recorded on that were overlooked as singles for Keith and went on to be huge hits for the two men who released them as singles when Keith passed. “On The Other Hand” (Randy Travis) and “Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her” (George Strait) benefitted from his not releasing them as singles. During sessions in 1987 he felt the songs were not the best he could do so requested the songs be shelved. The result was “I Never Go Around Mirrors” and the hits that made him a major voice – “Don’t Close Your Eyes”, “When You Say Nothing At All,” and “I’m No Stranger To The Rain” – the latter earned him his only CMA award. He battled alcoholism for many years. On May 9, 1989 after a weekend of partying with friends he spoke briefly with his mother, his brother-in-law and a day of golf, lunch and writing more songs was planned. An hour later Keith Whitley was found face down on his bed, only 34 years old and five times the legal alcohol limit to drive. He had already finished an album and it was released a few months after his death. I Wonder Do You Think Of Me” and “It Ain’t Nothin'” rose to number one as well as a top five hit with “I’m Over You.” His Greatest Hits cd has sold more than three million copies and includes a demo called “Tell Lorrie I Love Her”, a tribute to his wife Lorrie Morgan, and a vocal event “Til A Tear Becomes A Rose” which won a CMA for Best Vocal Collaboration in 1991. His untimely loss was noted in Garth Brooks’ video of “The Dance” and in Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High On That Mountain” with a line of “you were no stranger to the rain…”and Tim McGraw lists him as an influence. He is missed.

5. Marty Robbins – A noted singer when country was still called country and western, Marty Robinson was born in Glendale Arizona on September 26, 1925. In a career spanning four decades he won a Grammy, he’s in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A troubled childhood led him to serving in the US Navy during World War II. He passed the time as many soldiers do, playing guitar, writing songs and playing music. Out of the service in 1945 he began playing in the Phoenix area. He was a fan favorite and in addition to his music he was an avid race car driving and competed in the sport. Best known for his signature song “El Paso” he hit not only the country charts but it was the first song to hit #1 in the 1960s pop charts. In 1970 his ballad “My Woman My Woman My Wife” earned him a grammy for best country song. He passed away from complications from heart surgery on December 8, 1982.

These five entertainers span an enormous amount of time on music charts and have recorded some of the biggest songs in country music. Their voices and songs live on and are now available on CD. Give them a listen – if you’ve heard them before or not it’s a musical treat.

Reference:

• www.cmt.com