Join me on Sunday, December 21st, the Winter Solstice, at 11 am for the Sunday Morning Country Classic Spotlight when I feature the life and music of Conway Twitty. 

Conway was born Harold Jenkins in Friars Point, Mississippi in 1933 and took his famous stage name in 1957.  He found early musical success in pop and rock 'n' roll before turning to full time country in 1965.  As a  country artist he found his way to the top of the Billboard Country Chart 55 times.  He earned the nickname "High Priest of Country Music" along the way.

In the 1970's Conway teamed up with Loretta Lynn for several country hits.  Louisiana Women, Mississippi Man is a 1973 duet from the album of the same name.  This single peaked at #1 for one week and stayed on the country chart for 13 weeks.

He had a very successful album titled Borderline released in 1987.  He had two top ten hits often requested on the Country Classic Show --  That's My Job, written by Gary Burr.  The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart.  Julia is the second most requested from that album.  It was written by John Barlow and Don Cook.

Other Conway hits include Don't Take it Away, which peaked at #1 in 1979, and I Still Believe in Waltzes with Loretta Lynn, which topped out at #2 in 1981.

He lived for many years in Hendersonville, Tennessee, just north of Nashville where he built a country music entertainment complex called 'Twitty City' at a cost of over $73.5 million.  It's lavish displays of Christmas lights were a famous local sight.

Conway died of an abdominal aneurysm on June 5, 1993.

Sunday Morning Country Classic Show gets started at 9 am on Sunday  We always take your requests at 320-252-9897 or email dick@98country.com.

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