Country Music Singer. He is best remembered for his 1966 hit "There Goes My Everything," which dominated the Country music charts for nearly two months in 1967, earning him the Country Music Association awards "Male Vocalist of the Year," "Single of the Year," "Album of the Year," and "Song of the Year." He earned the nickname "Jolly Greene Giant" due to his height and deep voice. He learned to play the guitar at an early age and as a teenager he worked as a disc jockey at radio station WGAP in his home town. At 18 he became a regular performer on the "Tennessee Barn dance" show on WNOX in Knoxville, Tennessee. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia in the early 1950s and formed his own band The Peach Tree Boys, where he was the lead vocalist, drummer, and guitarist for eight years. Moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 1959 he formed another band, The Tennessee Mountain Boys. Two years later, he was the opening act for Country musician Ernest Tubb, who became impressed with his talent, and in 1962 Tubb requested that he become a part of his own band, The Texas Troubadors, which he did for the next few years. In 1964 he released his first solo record, "The Last Letter," followed by "Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)" in 1965, which failed to make the Country music charts. He decided to leave the Texas Troubadors at the encouragement of Tubb, to pursue a solo career and signed with Decca Records. In 1966 he recorded his first Top 40 hit, "Ever Since My Baby Went Away," and later that year he released what would become his signature song, "There Goes My Everything," which reached number 1 and stayed on top of the Country charts for seven weeks while also becoming a crossover hit (British pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck recorded it with great success). The title album stayed at number 1 for an entire year. In 1967 he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry and had another number 1 hit "All The Time," followed with a number 2 hit "What Locks The Door." He continued to record successfully in 1968 with a number 1 hit "You Are My Treasure" along with a top 5 hit "Love Takes Care Of Me," followed in 1969 with two number 1 hits, "Until My Dreams Come True" and "Statue of a Fool," and another Top 5 hit "Back In The Arms Of Love." In 1970 he teamed up with Jeannie Seely, recording "Wish I Didn't Have To Miss You," that reached number 2 on the Country charts and it would become his last Top 10 hit. He continued to have recording success throughout the 1970s, going solo with hits like "Lord, Is That Me" (1970), "There's A Lot About A Woman A Man Don't Know" (1971), "Much Obliged" (1972, with Jeannie Seely), and "What In The World Has Gone Wrong With Our Love" (1972, with Jeannie Seely). When Decca became MCA Records, he recorded "Satisfaction" (1973), "I Need Somebody Bad" (1973), and "It's Time To Cross That Bridge" (1974), all with moderate success. His recording success started to decline after that and MCA Records dropped him in 1976. In 1980 he staged a brief comeback with Frontline Records with "Yours For The Taking," which peaked at number 28 on the Country charts, and it would be his last Country Top Forty hit. Afterwards he continued to tour regularly and make frequent appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. In 2011 his health started failing and he retired from performing. He died at his home from complications of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 83. During his musical career, he released sixteen albums and over forty single recordings, with a total of five number 1 Country hits and three others that reached the Top Ten. Billboard magazine named him one of the Top 100 "Most Played Artists".