Born 103 Years Ago in the Lone Star State, the Nashville Sound Pioneer Who Kept Notching Hits for Two Decades After His Death

On this day (August 20) in 1923, Jim Reeves was born in Galloway, Texas. He had a promising baseball career until an injury took him out of the game forever. Later, he embarked on an incredibly successful career in country music. Working closely with Chet Atkins, he helped to define the Nashville Sound of the 1950s and '60s. A plane crash cut his life and career short in 1964. However, he continued to notch hits for nearly 20 years after he died. Reeves was playing guitar and singing with a band on Shreveport, Louisiana, radio station KRMD by the time he was 12 years old. Later, he won a baseball scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin. He cut his college career short to volunteer to serve in World War II. However, he failed the physical exam. At that point, he played minor league baseball. In 1947, an injury ended his baseball career. Reeves' recording career took off in the early 1950s. He signed with the Abbott Record Company and released his first No. 1 single, "Mexican Joe," in 1953. This helped him find work on the Louisiana Hayride. According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he joined the Grand Ole Opry two years later. Jim Reeves and the Nashville Sound Jim...

Source: https://americansongwriter.com/born-103-years-ago-in-the-lone-star-state-the-nashville-sound-pioneer-who-kept-notching-hits-for-two-decades-after-his-death/