He’s maybe someone a lot of folks in the modern Nash Vega$-era haven’t heard of, but he helped pave the way for country-pop crooning types like Kenny Rogers to become part of Nashville’s scene, even if sometimes Nashville doesn’t appreciate a little pop flavor in their heartland music. He sits right alongside Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves and Ray Price as the leaders of the countrypolitan movement, and that he not only achieved an almost 40-year chart longevity but was hitting the pop charts during the British invasion—at the age of 47!—is quite remarkable in itself. He’ll certainly be missed, and Nashville has long owed him a debt of gratitude for his efforts.