He was born September 17, 1923, in the rural community of Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama.

He married Audrey Sheppard, who competed with his mother to control his career.

The Grand Ole Opry dismissed him because of his unreliability and alcoholism.

An estimated 15,000 to 25,000 people attended his funeral, Backed by the Drifting Cowboys, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb and Red Foley performed “I Saw the Light”, “Beyond the Sunset” and “Peace in the Valley”.

He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961