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Lefty
Frizzell
"I
got into a rut of trying to write in detail, and explain in
detail. People have to understand or you can get in a spot.
I've been hung up with that."
"When
I sing, to me every word has a feeling about it. I had to
linger, had to hold it, I didn't want to let go of it. I want
to hold one word through a whole line of melody, to linger with it
all the way down. I didn't want to let go of that no more than
I wanted to let go of the woman I loved. I didn't want to lose it."
Birth
Name: William Orville Frizzell
Induction
Year: 1972
Date
of Birth: 3/31/1928
Place
of Birth: Corsicana, TX
Date
of Death: 7/19/1975
Place
of Death: Nashville, TN |
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Former Occupations:
delivery
boy
worked
in oil fields |
Career Milestones:
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1940--first
radio spot on KELD (El Dorado, AK); regular slot on a children's show |
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1944--won
1st prize on Wayne Babb's Stage Show in Dallas; sang his own song
"Please Be Mine, Blue Eyes" |
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1947--landed
his own half-hour spot on KFGL (Roswell, NM) |
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1950--went
to Dallas and made demos for Jim Beck, a studio engineer |
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1950--signed
first record contract with Columbia in June |
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1950--first
recording session for Columbia on July 25 |
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1950--first
record released, "If You've Got the Money Honey, I've Got the
Time" and "I Love You a Thousand Ways" (within 2
months of release the record sold 500,000 copies); both songs went to #1 |
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1950--first
Opry appearance in a one-shot guest spot on December 20 |
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1951--signed
personal management contract with Beaumont promoter Jack Starnes |
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1951--first
national network television appearance on "Louisiana Hayride" |
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1951--signed
exclusive song-writing contract with Hill and Range Songs, Inc. |
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1951--joined
the Grand Ole Opry as a regular |
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1951--had
four songs in the country top ten: "Always Late (With Your
Kisses)," "Mom and Dad's Waltz," "I Love You a
Thousand Ways" and "Travelin' Blues"; would not happen
again on any chart until the Beatle's in 1964 |
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1952--left
the Grand Ole Opry |
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1955--first
country singer to perform at the Hollywood Bowl |
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1956--first
Nashville recording session |
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1961--moved
to Nashville |
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1964--last
chart song, "Saginaw, Michigan" went to #1 |
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1973--recorded
an album for ABC Records |
Awards:
1982--Country
Music Hall of Fame induction
1992--Texas
Country Music Association\Golden Armadillo Award\in memory for
achievements and contribution to country music
Catalog
Highlights
I
Want To Be With You Always
-
Co-writer:
Jim Beck
- Artists:
Lefty Frizzel (1951), John Prine, Tab Hunter
I
Love You A Thousand Ways
-
Co-writer:
Jim Beck - Artists:
Lefty Frizzell (1951), Hawkshaw Hawkins (1951), Willie Nelson (1977)
Always
Late (With Your Kisses
)
If
You've Got The Money Honey, I've Got The Time
Give
Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses)
-
Co-writer:
Ray Price - Artists:
Lefty Frizzell (1952)
Mom
And Dad's Waltz
That's
The Way Love Goes
Bandy
The Rodeo Clown
I
Never Go Around Mirrors
Comments:
The
soundtrack for "Tender Mercies" featured Robert Duvall
singing "It Hurts to Face Reality", a song Lefty wrote but
never recorded
First
country star to have his name enshrined on Hollywood's "Walkway
of the Stars"
Got
nickname "Lefty" when he tried his luck at boxing--decided
to try out for the Golden Gloves; didn't win a title, but scored
enough knockdowns to earn his nickname; his family called him Sonny |