Biography of Conway Twitty

This fact says a lot: With over fifty #1 singles, Conway Twitty is at the top of the list, outselling all other artists in any genre. Starting in the rock & roll Elvis Presley mold, he charted high with "I Need Your Lovin'" and his self-penned "It's Only Make Believe" (1958). He appeared on major TV shows, including "American Bandstand" and the "Ed Sullivan Show." To give you an idea of his audience at that time, he appeared in six movies ("B" is too high a letter to describe them), including Sex Kittens Go to College. When his pop career waned in the mid 60s, he moved to country, gaining fame through appearances on the Opry and on TV shows, including "Hee Haw" and "Johnny Cash." In 1970 his signature tune, "Hello Darlin'," was a smash, and Twitty was a national star. His hit singles during the 70s are far too numerous to list, but they include "You've Never Been This Far Before," "Linda on My Mind," "This Time I've Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me," "I May Never Get to Heaven," and "Tight Fittin' Jeans." His duets with label-mate Loretta Lynn were also hits, among them "Lead Me On" and "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man." His #1 hits continued into the 80s, with "Ain't She Something Else" and "Between Blue Eyes and Jeans." Twitty's done as well in his business interests, owning Twitty Bird Music and Twitty City, a sort of theme park that contains Twitty family homes. Not a bad dual career for the Mississippi native who was born Harold Lloyd Jenkins and who chose his professional name from Conway, AR, and Twitty, TX. Country fans are lucky that once he came over from pop, he stayed with us. ~ David Vinopal