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Born the son a ferryboat pilot on the Mississippi Delta, Harold Lloyd Jenkins would have to wait 28 years until Conway Twitty was born. Growing up on the Mighty Mississippi River, young Harold learned to play guitar in the pilothouse of his dad's ferryboat. Floyd Jenkins taught his oldest of three children all he knew about "pickin' an' grinnin' ". What Floyd couldn't teach him, Harold learned from "Unlce Fred", who wasn't really an uncle, but a musical mentor and neighbor in Friars Point, Mississippi.
Forming his own band at the age of 12, Harold and boyhood friend John Hughey and another boy, Wesley Pickett formed the Arkansas Cotton Choppers, after moving to Helena, Arkansas. Performing in a furniture store, and on local KFFA radio station, young Harold got a taste of what it was like to be an entertainer.
Excelling at sports, Harold held a passion for baseball, but never quite giving up on his music. For a time, Harold knew his destiny was with the Lord, and he set his sights on becoming a preacher. His deep involvement in religion would continue for the rest of his life, but a preacher he would not become.
After being scouted and offered a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, Harold knew he was on track to become something, but Uncle Sam had other plans, and drafted the lad. Serving in Japan during the Korean War, Harold again formed a band called the Cimmarons. There he played with another fine group of guys, including Gene Jones.
Once his obligation to his country was satisfied, Harold returned to the States, only to be blown away by that new boy doing that new thang from Memphis... Elvis Presley. Harold had never really considered music and singing to be his best talent, but the way that Presley kid was doing it, he knew he could compete.
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Elvis and Harold had a lot in common; both were from Mississippi, about 30 miles apart, and both had that great gospel and blues and country music to draw from. Writing songs since the age of 10, Harold tore off for Memphis where this new music was founded, to Sun Studios, home of Elvis... and Sam Phillips.
There, with Phillips he crafted music for a new, younger generation. But it wasn't until 1958, with a song he wrote himself, that Harold Jenkins saw true success. Changing his name to Conway Twitty, an idea he got from a road map; combining the towns of Conway, Arkansas and Twitty, Texas, he stormed the national Pop charts with "It's Only Make Believe". Going Number One in 22 different countries, Conway Twitty was a bona-fide star. Appearing on American Bandstand, and bringing out other hits like "Danny Boy" and "Lonely Blue Boy", Conway became a household name.
Appearing in three forgettable films in the early sixties, Conway tired of the rock 'n' roll scene. His passion had always been in country music, and his heroes like Roy Acuff and Ray Price. A country songwriter by the name of Harlan Howard would be Twitty's link to country music.
Harlan wasn't a fan of rock music, but he'd heard that some rocker named Conway Twitty was doing his songs on stage for rock audiences in Canada. Howard went to check it out himself. There in the middle of these rock hits, Howard found out, Conway would bust into "Heartaches By The Number" and several other hits Harlan had written for various country stars of the time.
The two became instant friends, and Harlan funded a demo session in which Conway recorded country tunes he had written. In 1964, Conway got a call from Ray Price, one of his idols. Price informed Conway that he was going to record one of the songs Conway had written titled: "Walk Me To The Door". A top five hit for Price and the thrill of a lifetime for Conway Twitty. |
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1965, Conway Twitty was playing in Summer's Point, N.J., when he put down his guitar, and headed home. He'd had enough of playing rock music, and wanted to follow his true passion and dream to record country music. It was an awful big risk, he went from making thousands of dollars a day, to just a few hundred a night; and from selling millions of records, to selling very few.
He called his old friend Harlan Howard up, and Howard told him not to worry about a thing. Howard took that old demo tape to Producer and Decca label president, Owen Bradley. Howard didn't tell Bradley who was singing the demo, but rather used a bit of reverse psychology on the master music executive.
Bradley wanted to know who the singer was, because he was simply blown away. Howard told him it was Conway Twitty, and Bradley couldn't believe it. 'A rock singer, singing country songs... like that!?'
Bradley signed Twitty to Decca Records in 1965. The rest is, as they say, history. But what a grand piece of history it is. For none of the men knew it then, but a legend was about to born and a musical legacy that would endure into the next millennium.
In 1968, Conway Twitty scored his first Top Five Hit with "The Image Of Me", composed by Wayne Kemp. The very next release, "Next In Line" became the very first of an unimaginable string of Number Ones.
In fact, every single Conway Twitty released between 1968 and 1978 went to Number One. No other artist can lay claim to this astonishing record. Most artists ride their entire careers and never have more than a back to back set of Number Ones. Conway Twitty put one at the TOP every swing.
He'd already had a career-making hit song in 1958, with "It's Only Make Believe", but 1970 saw Twitty do the impossible, by scoring yet another signature song. "Hello Darlin' " was more than a hit record. It truly catapulted Twitty to country music stardom.
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| He'd been at the top of the charts in the world of rock 'n' roll, and now he was the King Of Hits in the country music arena. Conway Twitty dominated the '70's, consistently hitting the top of the charts, but in 1971 when he teamed up with super star Loretta Lynn, the result was simply magic.
Their first hit, right out of the starting gate, "After The Fire Is Gone" was written by now legendary songsmith, L.E. White. Releasing only one duet song, and one duet album a year, they acheived 4 Country Music Association Awards for "Best Vocal Duo of the Year" in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975. They won Music City News Country Awards' Vocal Duet of the Year from 1972 - 1978.
All the while, Twitty's solo career kept booming. Pouring out hit after hit like, "Linda On My Mind", "Don't Cry Joni" with his real life daughter Joni, "Games That Daddies Play" and "I Wonder What She'll Think About My Leaving", written by one of Conway's true contemporaries and chart competition, Merle Haggard.
Throughout the remainder of the '70's and on into the '80's, Conway's career skyrocketted. He went against the grain in the country music industry be refusing to hire an outside manager, instead choosing to be his own decision maker. He didn't play politics, and didn't hire publicity companies to pander for awards.
What mattered to him were the fans, and what mattered to the fans was the music. The sincerity in the songs he sang, and the honesty in his voice left no doubt as to why, when country comedian Jerry Clower dubbed him "The High Priest of Country Music".
Twitty worked incessantly on his creative juices, and changed with the times, bringing fresh new sounds, and even more heart-felt emotion to what he called "Three Minute Soap Opera's". His music was always undeniably country, even when he recorded pop covers like "Slow Hand" by the Pointer Sisters, and Bette Midler's "The Rose". He took those songs and put his distinctive brand on them, and sent them back up to the top of the charts, not once disappointing or alienating a single country music fan. |
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If there's one thing to be said about Conway Twitty's amazing 37 year career, it's consistency. Consistently he chose songs that always managed to land at the top of the charts. He consistently influenced the country music industry, ironically with change. He consistently wowed his fans, and consistently grew his legend.
The Music City News Country Awards honored him in 1988 with their coveted Living Legend trophy, a distinction few deserved as much as "The Best Friend A Song Ever Had".
Overall, he amassed 55 Number One Hits, a feat still untouched by another artist, even now, almost ten years since his untimely passing. Country music and the world lost Conway Twitty on June 5th, 1993 suddenly due to an abdominal aneurysm. Ironically, it happened the weekend of Fan Fair, a country music event he loved dearly, because it dealt so closely with the fans. At his memorial service, his daughter Kathy said it sounded like something he would do... to plan his exit during Fan Fair.
For years, Conway held an annual event he called a "Country Explosion during Fan Fair. His longtime friend Ralph Emery spoke of this during his memorial, citing, "Conway, this is your Country Explosion. We've had Tammy Wynette, The Oakridge Boys, The Statler Brothers, Vince Gill, George Jones, Connie Smith, Miss Mae Axton, and now here's Reba McEntire to close the show..."
"Conway was a legend. He'll always be a legend in my heart and my mind. He wasn't a renegade, he just plugged right along steadily. And if I can be a fourth of the role-model Conway was to me, to some little kid in Oklahoma or Texas, I'd be thrilled. I'd be doing the job that God sent me here to do. I opened shows for Conway. He was my big tour after the Statlers let me open for them. I loved opening for Conway because I loved for him to close the show with that audience reaction. Well I'm not ready for Conway to close the show yet." Reba said, crying for us all.
Conway Twitty was a legend... and his contribution to country music will not soon be forgotten. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999, he now resides along his heroes, idols and friends; beside the likes of Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Webb Pierce, Roy Acuff, and Hank Williams.
He'll always be remembered as a gentleman, a great humanitarian, a true friend, and an amazing entertainer. |
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