He was called "The King of Country Music," and that'll work for me. Hugely popular and influential especially during World War II (where he was the third member in the Hated-By-The-Axis Trinity that included FDR & Babe Ruth), Roy Acuff was a singer/fiddle player, a movie star, and regular host on WSM's Grand Ole Opry for many a year. I remember as a kid listening to the Opry on the transistor radio, hearing Marty Robbins do encore after encore, edging into the time slot for the Ernest Tubb Record Shop broadcast, while Roy ("The Old Man" Marty would call him - woulda thunk that Marty would go first?!?!) begged him to stop while the audience pleaded for more.

Roy's "Great Speckled Bird" and "Wreck on the Highway" remain among country's most universally-recognized-as-country-by-yer-average-yobbo songs. Also an expert yoyoist... There are numerous collections on the market, but Sony's Essential 1936-49 (not to be confused with the shorter 2004 edition), consisting of his early material for ARC (before it was absorbed by Columbia) and later stuff on the Red Label, would be my obvious recommendation - modest price and excellent sound. Those in need of more will want Bear Family's King of Country Music, featuring nearly 60 songs on just two discs. Several later Capitol albums - including Songs of the Smokey Mountains and The Voice Of Country Music, recently reissued by Dualtone Records - are worth looking into, but avoid the many re-recordings of his early hits. (expanded from an original article by Charlie Burton) [top of page]