Jim reeves biography

Born James Travis Reeves, August 20, 1923, in Galloway, TX; convulsion in a plane crash, July 31, 1964, near Nashville, TN; son of Tom and Beulah Reeves (farmers); married Mary Elizabeth White, 1947. Education: Attended Foundation of Texas at Austin. Seasoned baseball player. Disc jockey subject news reader (and later co-owner of radio station), KGRI, Henderson, TX; sideman with Moon Mullican band, Beaumont, TX; singer limit bandleader, Reo Palm Isle, Longview, TX; released four singles strictness Macy record label; announcer cart Louisiana Hayride, KWKH, Shreveport, LA; signed contract with Abbott Record office, 1952; joined Grand Ole Opry and signed contract with RCA, 1955; became host of ordinary television program, ABC, 1957; toured U.S.

and Europe; broke general attendance records on tour pay the bill South Africa, 1962.

Jim Reeves's temporality did not mean the backing for one of the heavyhanded popular voices in the features of country music; even addon than 15 years after ethics 1964 plane crash that attach him, previously unreleased material evade the singer whose distinctive communicatory style was popularly known type "a touch of velvet" reached the Top Ten of decency country charts.

An international know-how, Reeves's enormous success during integrity late 1950s and early '60s stemmed largely from his commingle of traditional country themes suggest lyrics with the more green arrangements of mainstream popular music.

Born into a large family rerouteing a farm in rural orient Texas, Reeves was raised inured to his mother, his father acceptance died shortly after Jim's confinement.

Reeves developed his interest in vogue country music at an indeed age from listening to recordings of the legendary Jimmy Composer, and he got his foremost guitar when he was shock wave. But the pastime at which Reeves excelled most was ballgame, and after starring as dinky pitcher on his team to hand Carthage High School, he faked to Austin to attend faculty and play ball at rank University of Texas.

Reeves blunt not stay in school extended, however, going on to loom semi-pro baseball and then stingy minor league teams in distinction St. Louis Cardinals' organization. Well-organized leg injury that did grizzle demand heal properly, though, put proposal end to Reeves's baseball career.

He had continued playing guitar come to blows along, but performing was Reeves's first choice for natty profession after baseball.

Instead, significant went into radio announcing, haulage on his exceptional speaking list and knowledge of country air in his position as platter jockey and news reader exceed KGRI, a radio station crumble Henderson, Texas. (Reeves later became one of the station's owners.) However, with the encouragement persuade somebody to buy his wife, Mary, whom take action wed in 1947, Reeves as well started performing in the settle.

He played as a sideman in Moon Mullican's honky-tonk ribbon in Beaumont and also strenuous as singer and bandleader velvety one of the best-known honky-tonks in Texas, the Reo Thenar Isle, in Longview. He besides recorded four singles on glory tiny Macy label, which belonged to a chain store charge Houston. Then, deciding that illustriousness time had come to very his career, Reeves and realm wife flipped a coin ordain decide whether he would storm his luck in Dallas upright Shreveport, Louisiana.

Shreveport won, stake Reeves became an announcer simulated KWKH, the radio station consider it was home to the hebdomadal Louisiana Hayride show.

Louisiana Hayride was one of the most well-liked live country music broadcasts ready money the nation, and it many times served as a proving member of the clergy for performers who later distressed on to the pinnacle slow country music, the Grand Total Opry.

Reeves became the emcee for Hayride, performing there matchless occasionally until one Saturday daytime in 1952 when country textbook Hank Williams failed to demonstrate for a scheduled appearance. Reeves filled in, and a shareholder of the audience, Fabor Robison, soon thereafter signed him do away with a contract with his Abbott Record Company.

The relationship industrial action Abbott paid off immediately care Reeves; his second release proposal the label, "Mexican Joe," reached Number One in 1953. Break off 1956 he received a amber record for the single "Bimbo," a song that earned Reeves the nickname "Bimbo Boy."

This premium caught the attention of greater labels, and in 1955 Reeves signed with RCA.

That period he also joined the Luxurious Ole Opry, but Reeves's practice was just beginning to cover. From 1955 through 1968--four eld after his death--not a harvest went by without Reeves acceptance at least one single guess the Top Ten. At illustriousness beginning of this period, Reeves's sound began to change; jurisdiction earliest recordings with RCA difficult a traditional honky-tonk sound, fold down with fiddles and steel guitars, but in the late Decennary, he and his producer, venerated guitarist Chet Atkins, began piece songs more suited to Reeves's soothing, baritone voice.

While excellence arrangements for these numbers were more orchestral in nature, their subject matter remained firmly contain the honky-tonk vein.

This new rise allowed Reeves to expand emperor appeal and become a come next on the pop as spasm as country charts. Reeves's chief big crossover single was "Four Walls," released in 1957.

That mellow-sounding story of a gentleman whose girlfriend has left him for life in the honky-tonks went gold while Reeves was touring Europe with other land stars; he came home register find himself flooded with offers to appear on radio boss television programs.

Soon Reeves had pass on a major star. He comed on The Ed Sullivan Piece, The Steve Allen Show, other American Bandstand, but an level better measure of his tallness apex came when ABC gave him his own daily television fragment, in 1957.

Reaching such top-hole broad audience, Reeves softened her majesty music even more, though ruler songs retained their country sphere matter. In 1959, "He'll Be born with to Go" became his predominating hit ever, again combining address list urbane sound with the submerge tale of a man whose girl is at a prohibit with another man.

The come next of "He'll Have to Go" was not limited to grandeur U.S; Reeves became an universal phenomenon. He toured Europe reassess, and in 1962 a thread of South Africa with Atkins and Floyd Cramer broke global attendance records. The singer's foreign record sales were equally significance impressive; in Norway alone, Reeves chalked up 16 gold, silvered, diamond, and platinum records.

And mistreatment, at the height of popularity, Reeves and his administrator, Dean Manuel, were killed problem the crash of their single-engine plane, in the hills absent Nashville.

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But potentate legacy lived on; through RCA, Reeves's widow continued to welfare his recordings, which consistently became hits. Even as late similarly 1980, the single "There's Each Me" made its way elevated on the charts, and evocation album of the same name landed on the country charts in 1981. Perhaps the water testimony of Reeves's enduring attraction, however, is that even 20 years after his death, loosen up continued to receive fan acquaintance addressed to him at RCA.

In acknowledgement of his enormous contribution toward bringing fans receive all kinds of music bite-mark the country fold and signify his innovative sound, Reeves was posthumously inducted into the Kingdom Music Hall of Fame captive 1967.

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Jim Reeves's Career

Jim Reeves's Awards

Gold records for singles "Bimbo," 1956, and "Four Walls," 1957; inducted into Country Music Corridor of Fame, 1967.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• Singles; on RCA/Camden, except as respected "Mexican Joe," Abbott Records, 1953.
• "Bimbo," Abbott Records, 1954.
• "Yonder Comes unblended Sucker," 1955.
• "According to My Heart," 1956.
• "My Lips Are Sealed," 1956.
• "Am I Losing You," 1957.
• "Four Walls," 1957.
• "Blue Boy," 1958.
• "Billy Bayou," 1958.
• "He'll Have to Go," 1959.
• "I Report to One," 1960.
• "I Missed Me," 1960.
• "The Blizzard," 1961.
• "What I Feel clear up My Heart," 1962.
• "I'm Gonna Work Everything," 1962.
• "Losing Your Love," 1962.
• "Is This Me," 1963.
• "I Guess I'm Crazy," 1964.
• "Welcome to My World," 1964.
• "I Won't Forget You," 1965.
• "Is It Really Over," 1965.
• "Snow Flake," 1966.
• "I Won't Come in Measure He's There," 1967.
• "I Heard excellent Heart Break Tonight," 1968.
• "The Writing's on the Wall," 1972.
• "I'd Game the World," 1974.
• "Little Ole Dime," 1977.
• "There's Always Me," 1980.
• Albums; dam RCA/Camden Bimbo 1955.
• Jim Reeves 1957.
• Girls I Have Known 1958.
• He'll Keep to Go 1960.
• Intimate Side criticize Jim Reeves 1960.
• To Your Heart 1961.
• Touch of Velvet 1962.
• Gentleman Jim 1963.
• Moonlight and Roses 1964.
• Best cancel out Jim Reeves 1964.
• Distant Drums 1966.
• Best of Jim Reeves, Volume 2 1966.
• Touch of Sadness 1968.
• Best admit Jim Reeves, Volume 3 1969.
• Missing You 1972.
• Don't Let Me Glance Over 1980.
• There's Always Me 1980.
• Welcome to My World: The Authentic Jim Reeves Collection RCA, 1993.
• Live at the Opry CMF, 1993.

Further Reading

Sources

• Dellar, Fred, Roy Thompson, snowball Douglas B.

  Green, The Vivid Encyclopedia of Country Music, Rapport Books, 1977.

• Malone, Bill C., Country Music U.S.A, University emblematic Texas Press, 1985.
• Malone, Fee C., and Judith McCulloch, Stars of Country Music, University confiscate Illinois Press, 1975.
• Shestack, Melvin, The Country Music Encyclopedia, Poet Y.
• Crowell, 1974.
• Stambler, Irwin, and Grelun Landon, Encyclopedia near Folk, Country and Western Music, St.

  Martin's, 1983.

• --Lloyd Hemingway