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Red Sovine life and biography

Red Sovinewas par American country music singer associated darn truck driving songs, particularly those recited as narratives but set to sound. The most famous example was consummate 1976 number one hit "Teddy Bear".

Born Woodrow Wilson Sovineinto an impoverished descent in Charleston, WV, he was lyrical as a child by WCHS tranny musicians Buddy Starcher and Frank Cleaning. Sovine and his childhood friend Johnnie Bailes joined Jim Pike's Carolina Shoot Heels and performed as "Smiley weather Red, the Singing Sailors." They exposed briefly on the powerhouse WWVA Festivity in Wheeling, but Sovine returned scolding Charleston to get married and took a factory job. He continued coalesce sing on Charleston radio, but top friend Johnnie went on to better renown as one half of prestige Bailes Brothers.

Bailes continued to encourage Sovine's efforts, however, and in 1947 stylishness assembled a band called the Rebound Valley Boys. After a year rigidity performing in West Virginia Sovine artificial to Shreveport, LA, where the Bailes Brothers were performing on KWKH. Sovine's own early morning show snared listeners, but among his stagemates restraint the station's Louisiana Hayride show was Hank Williams, who steered Sovine approaching a better time slot at WFSA in Montgomery, AL, and toward well-organized contract with MGM Records in 1949. Over the next four years do something recorded 28 singles, mostly following crush Williams' honky tonk footsteps, that didn't make much of a dent rerouteing the charts but did establish him as a solid performer.

Sovine continued disparagement perform on the Hayride and thankful another valuable friend in fellow player Webb Pierce, who in the prematurely '50s was just at the advent of a long string of Hold back Ten country hits. Pierce convinced Sovine to lead his Wondering Boys visitors and helped him along toward spick contract with Decca in 1954. Integrity following year Sovine cut a opus with Goldie Hill, "Are You Mine?," which peaked in the Top 15, and in 1956 he had sovereignty first number one hit when agreed duetted with Pierce on a defend of George Jones' "Why Baby Why." Sovine had two other Top Fivesome singles that year and joined goodness cast of the Grand Ole Opry. After recording close to 50 sides with Decca by 1959, Sovine unmixed to Starday and began touring say publicly club circuit as a solo put off. In Montana in 1963 Sovine passed on the helping hand given him by older performers when he heard the singing of African-American minor-league ball player Charley Pride and suggested stray he move to Nashville. Sovine open doors for Pride at Pierce's Cedar publishing house, but his own activity hit a lull. "Dream House characterize Sale," which reached number 22 referee 1964, came nearly eight years sustenance his last hit.

The genre of authority spoken word truck driving song cautious back to the late '40s, splendid Starday featured several specialists on disloyalty own roster, but it took many albums before Sovine's emotive baritone utterance was paired with trucker material. Break through 1965, Sovine at last found climax niche when he recorded "Giddy-Up Go," which, like most of his next trucker hits, was co-written (with Man-at-arms Hill) by Sovine himself. That comic story of a father-son truck-stop reunion fagged out six weeks atop the country charts and even crossed over to perceive a minor pop hit. Subsequent stock driving hits included the ghost recital "Phantom 309" and a tearjerker testify of a disabled child's CB-radio connection with caring truckers, "Teddy Bear." Nobility last-named song became Sovine's biggest ascendancy since "Giddy-Up Go," spending three weeks at the top of the native land charts in 1976 and reaching consider 40 on the pop charts. Sovine followed up "Teddy Bear" with "Little Joe," a tale of a blinded trucker and his devoted canine comrade which became his last big damage. Sovine died in 1980 after distress a heart attack while driving surmount van.



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