Date: 2007-01-01
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Del Reeves, star of the Grand Ole Opry has died at age 74. Reeves had a number 1 country hit named "Girl on the Billboard" in 1965. Reeves passed away on New Year's Day according to a spokesperson from the Grand Ole Opry.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Del Reeves, star of the Grand Ole Opry has died at age 74. Reeves had a number 1 country hit named "Girl on the Billboard" in 1965. Reeves passed away on New Year's Day according to a spokesperson from the Grand Ole Opry.
Del Reeves (born July 14, 1933; died January 1, 2007) was a country singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty-type songs of the 1960s. Born as Franklin Delano Reeves, he became one of the most successful male country singers of the 1960s.
Del Reeves is probably best known for his fair share of 1960s hits. He proved that he could become a country singer in his own right and become successful. With songs such as "The Girl on the Billboard" and "The Belles of the Southern Belle" are both highlights from his career. Reeves is a fine vocalist and can sing more than just novelty tunes. He is also known for his 1965 trucker's anthem "Looking Through the Windshield", which proved he was capable of singing more than just his novelty tunes.
Del Reeves was born in Sparta, North Carolina in 1933. He was well educated, compared to other country singers of the time period. This is because he attended college. He even served in the air force. During the 1950s, he moved out west to California. In 1954, he signed on with Capitol Records As a matter of fact he first got his reputation as a master of ceremonies. This led to having his own television show. Later in the 50s, he began to record for Decca, as well as Reprise and Columbia records. However, he failed to gain any success each time. Reeves was one day hoping he could eventually become successful as a country singer.
Everything began to change when Reeves signed on with United Artists Records. The work he did for United Artists is probably his best known work. He finally scored big in 1961 with the hit song "Be Quiet Mind". Later in 1965, he got his first #1 hit with "The Girl on the Billboard". His follow-up "The Belles of the Southern Belle" made the County Top Five. By now Reeves finally got what he wanted, a successful career in country music. During this time also, he and his wife became a songwriting team. With this he was pretty successful too. He and his wife wrote songs for Rose Maddox, Carl Smith and Roy Drusky to name a few.
His success conitued throughout the rest of the 1960s. He continued to have hit songs during this time. This proved that Del was not just a one-hit wonder. Songs that became hits during this time are "Be Glad" and "Good Time Charlie's", which is probably his signature song.
Credit ( Biography ) Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_Reeves