Musician. Born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, he became known nationally playing the "rockabilly" style of music that peaked in the late 1950's and early 1960's with the likes of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. He was a very talented musician and did record some notable hits such as "Arkansas Twist", and "Shirley Lee", a song later covered by Ricky Nelson. Although his career began to fade in the United States in the early 70's, he soon found renewed interest in his music in Europe where "rockabilly" was becoming wildly popular. During this time, he was booked to play several European venues but in 1984, this new fame was cut short in Holland when he attempted to jump on a piano during a show and in the process he fell and injured his wrist. His career switched to politics and in 1997 he was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives, serving for 2 terms until 2002. He died of natural causes at his home in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Musician. Born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, he became known nationally playing the "rockabilly" style of music that peaked in the late 1950's and early 1960's with the likes of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. He was a very talented musician and did record some notable hits such as "Arkansas Twist", and "Shirley Lee", a song later covered by Ricky Nelson. Although his career began to fade in the United States in the early 70's, he soon found renewed interest in his music in Europe where "rockabilly" was becoming wildly popular. During this time, he was booked to play several European venues but in 1984, this new fame was cut short in Holland when he attempted to jump on a piano during a show and in the process he fell and injured his wrist. His career switched to politics and in 1997 he was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives, serving for 2 terms until 2002. He died of natural causes at his home in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Bio by: Keith Baggett
