Country Music's Jim Reeves
Louisiana Hayride Star's Hits: Four Walls, Penny Candy, Guilty
Jim Reeves (1923-1964) was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967. His smooth, velvety voice was the envy of Nashville and beyond, as he sang his way to the top of the country music charts in the 1950s and early '60s. Reeves was killed in a plane crash in 1964.
Jim Reeves Born in Texas
James Travis Reeves was born in Galloway, Texas, on August 20, 1923. He was the son of Tom and Mary Adams Reeves. Jim's dad had died when he was ten months old, leaving his mother to raise nine children on her own.
Reeves briefly attended the University of Texas where he played baseball and majored in speech. He later toiled in the minor leagues as a pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system before a leg injury ended his big league dreams.
Music Career
With his professional sports career at an end, Reeves toiled at a number of blue collar jobs before deciding to try his hand at music. His first disc jockey job came at radio station KGRI in Henderson, Texas.
With encouragement from his wife Mary, whom he had married in 1947, Reeves pursued his dreams. He worked briefly as a sideman for Moon Mullican's honky-tonk band in Beaumont, Texas.
First Records for Macy's Label
Jim Reeves' first recordings came on the Houston-based Macy's label. His debut single was "My Heart's Like a Welcome Mat" (Macy's 115), released in 1949.
Reeves Joins KWKH Shreveport
Jim Reeves later joined radio station KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana, as an announcer. One Saturday evening in 1952, the legend goes, Hank Williams failed to show for a scheduled appearance on KWKH's popular Louisiana Hayride.
Taking the stage in place of the missing Williams was Jim Reeves, who proceeded to charm the audience with his smooth baritone voice. One audience member, Fabor Robison, was especially impressed, later signing Reeves to a recording contract with his Abbott Records.
Reeves' First Hit
Jim Reeves' first recording for Robison was "Wagon Load of Love" (Abbott 115), released in January 1953. That was followed by "Mexican Joe" (Abbott 116), released in March 1953, which went all the way to number one on the country music charts.
Reeves recorded for Abbott and its companion label Fabor from 1952-55. His other Top Ten hits from this period included "Bimbo" (1954, another #1 recording), "Penny Candy" (1955, #5) and "Drinking Tequila" (1955, #9).
Reeves Signs with RCA
In 1955, Jim Reeves signed a 10-year recording contract with RCA Victor. His first single, "Yonder Comes a Sucker," was released in 1955 and rose to number four on the country music charts.
In 1957, Reeves hit it big with his iconic "Four Walls," which went to number one on the country charts and to number eleven on the pop charts.
From there, Reeves' career went into high gear, as he later scored number one hits with "Billy Bayou" (1958) and "He'll Have to Go" (1960).
Jim Reeves Popularity
In time, Jim Reeves became one of country music's most popular performers. He appeared on television and radio shows (Grand Ole Opry, American Bandstand), toured overseas and even starred in a 1965 South African-made film, Kimberley Jim.
Jim Reeves' Death
On July 31, 1964, while returning home to Nashville from Arkansas, Jim Reeves and his manager Dean Manuel were killed in a private plane crash near Brentwood, Tennessee. The 40-year-old Reeves was at the controls of the single-engine Beechcraft Debonair when it went down in a violent thunderstorm.
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