biography
| name: |
Acuff, (Claxton) Roy
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1903–92)
|
| biography:
| Country music singer, musician, and songwriter, born in Maynardville, Tennessee, USA. Forced by poor health to abandon a promising baseball career, he polished his skills as a singer and fiddler and began to play publicly in 1932. He performed on radio in the 1930s with the Tennessee Cracklers, then joined the ‘Grand Ole Opry’ (1938) with the Smoky Mountain Boys, becoming that radio show's first network broadcasting host. During World War 2 he was hugely popular and became known as ‘the King of Country Music’, touring the USA and appearing in several films. His unique singing style influenced such musicians as Hank Williams, and among his most famous songs are ‘The Great Speckled Bird’ and ‘Wabash Cannon Ball’ (both 1936). Although his style of country music was less popular by the late 1950s, he continued to appear on the ‘Grand Ole Opry’. He was co-owner of Acuff-Rose, a music publishing company, and he remained active in Tennessee Republican politics. |
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