He was such a hit with the fans that he was invited to act as fill-in host from May thru July 1958 on the popular program, Ozark Jubilee.įrom his earliest recordings with RCA Victor, Reeves relied on the loud, East Texas style, which was considered standard for country and western performers of that time, but he developed a new style of singing over the course of his career. Reeves also made his first appearance on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee in 1955. In addition to the Hayride, Jim Reeves joined the Grand Ole Opry, also in 1955. Most of the talented performers of the 1950s such as Reeves, Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jim Ed Brown, Maxine Brown, the Wilburn Brothers, and Little Joe Hunt got their start at the Louisiana Hayride. Sholes signed another performer from the Louisiana Hayride that same year (1955), Elvis Presley. Sholes went on to produce some of Reeves' first recordings at RCA Victor. Reeves' star was on the rise because he had already been signed to a 10-year recording contract with RCA Victor by Steve Sholes. Due to his growing popularity, Reeves went on to release his first album in November 1955, Jim Reeves Sings (Abbott 5001), which proved to be one of Abbott Records' few album releases. Reeves became the headliner with Hunt as the backup performer. After performing at the Hayride in Shreveport, Reeves and Hunt traveled and performed together for several years in the dance halls and clubs of East Texas and rural Arkansas. Jim Reeves and Little Joe Hunt met at the Louisiana Hayride, which was Louisiana's equivalent to Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. In 1954, Abbott Records released a 45 single with "Bimbo" on side-A which hit number one and featured Little Joe Hunt of the Arkansas Walk of Fame. In addition to those early hits, Reeves recorded many other songs for Fabor Records and Abbott Records. Other hits followed, such as "I Love You" (a duet with Ginny Wright), and " Bimbo" which reached number one on the U.S. Jim Reeves was a country music singer who had success early on in his career, first with the song " Mexican Joe" in 1953 for Abbott Records. (Other accounts-including that of Reeves himself, in an interview on the RCA Victor album Yours Sincerely-name Hank Williams as the absentee.) According to former Hayride master of ceremonies Frank Page, who had introduced Elvis Presley on the program in 1954, singer Sleepy LaBeef was late for a performance, and Reeves was asked to substitute. In the late 1940s, Reeves joined Moon Mullican's band, and as a solo artist, Reeves recorded Mullican-style songs including "Each Beat of my Heart" and "My Heart's Like a Welcome Mat" in the late 1940s and early 1950s.ĭuring these years, Reeves took a job as an announcer for KWKH-AM in Shreveport, Louisiana, then the home of the popular radio program Louisiana Hayride. Reeves at this point was influenced by early country and western swing artists including Jimmie Rodgers and Moon Mullican, as well as popular singers Bing Crosby, Eddy Arnold and Frank Sinatra. During the late 1940s, he was contracted with a couple of small Texas-based recording companies, but without success. Reeves began to work as a radio announcer and sang live between songs. However, he failed the exam (probably due to a heart irregularity), and on 4 August 1943 an official letter declared his 4-F draft status. On March 9, 1943, he reported to the Army Induction Center in Tyler, Texas for his preliminary physical examination. Reeves' initial efforts to pursue a baseball career were sporadic, possibly due to his uncertainty as to whether he would be drafted into the military as World War II enveloped the United States. He played for the minor leagues for three years before severing his sciatic nerve while pitching, which ended his athletic career. Louis Cardinals "farm" team during 1944 as a right-handed pitcher. Soon he resumed baseball, playing in the semi-professional leagues before contracting with the St. Winning an athletic scholarship to the University of Texas, he enrolled to study speech and drama but quit after only six weeks to work in the shipyards in Houston. He was known as Travis during his childhood years. He was the youngest of eight children born to Thomas Middleton Reeves (1882-1924) and Mary Beulah Adams Reeves (1884-1980). Reeves was born at home in Galloway, Texas, a small rural community near Carthage. He is a member of both the Country Music and Texas Country Music Halls of Fame.īiography Early life and education Known as "Gentleman Jim", his songs continued to chart for years after his death in a plane crash. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923 – July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer and songwriter.
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