Harold Lloyd Jenkins was born in the little town of Friars Point, Mississippi on September 1, 1993.  He would become a legend in country music as Conway Twitty.  Conway, a son of a riverboat captain was raised in Helena, Arkansas, where he learned to love country as well as blues and gospel music.  He joined his first band at the age of ten, the “Phillips Country Ramblers,” who also played on the local radio station.

Like so many of the early country singers, Conway was a good baseball player and had offers to play professionally, especially with the Philadelphia Phillies.  But, his plans were interrupted when the Army drafted him during the Korean conflict, although he served mostly in the Far East. During this time he was able to further his singing aspirations by working with a country band called “The Cimarron’s.”

Conway decided his future was in singing, so when he returned home in 1956, he headed for Memphis to look into a recording contract with Sam Phillips at Sun Records. He was greatly inspired by the success of the young Elvis Presley. It was during this time that Conway sang “rock and roll,” however the songs that he did for Sun Records were never released. He did write “Rock House,” which became a small hit for Roy Orbison.

Conway left Sun Records in late 1956 and joined a rockabilly show on tour. It was at this time that he took the stage name, Conway Twitty.  After a short stint with Mercury Records, which didn’t pan out, Conway signed with MGM in 1958 and finally enjoyed some success. His “It’s Only Make Believe” became a major hit and reached number one on the Rock charts. This was followed with a couple of top ten hits.

Three or four years of mediocre success in the 1960s convinced Conway that he should return to his first love, country music. He signed with ABC-Paramount and began to record more country songs. But, it wasn’t until he joined up with record producer Owen Bradley who signed him to a Decca contract, would Conway became a sensation in the music industry.

After a string of minor hits, Conway began to string out the biggies: “I Love You More Today,” “Hello Darlin’,” “To See My Angel Cry,” and “How Much More She Can Stand” were all number one hits!

In late 1970, Conway and Loretta Lynn began to record duets which were destined for tremendous results. The first of these, released in early 1971, was “After The Fire Is Gone,” which started the string of number one country hits. The others included “Lead Me On,” “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,” “As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone,” and “Feelins’.” They continued to release one album a year, with a total of 14 Top 10 hits. They won four “Duo of the Year” awards from the Country Music Association, three “Vocal Group of the Year” honors from the Academy of Country Music, and one Grammy for “Best Vocal Performance by a Group” for their song, “After The Fire Is Gone.”

Conway continued to be very active by recording and making personal appearances until his death from an abdominal aneurysm June 5th of 1993. In his brilliant career he had amassed over 40 number one hits!

Dusty Owens
TCM Radio News