Lefty is a hero to guys like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Kristofferson, and Buck.  Buck and Lefty
were best friends for years.  Lefty was born in Texas in 1928 and died in Nashville, Tennessee on
July 19, 1975. He was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982.  Story tells that his
parents had Jimmie Rodgers records around the house when he was growing up and that is when his
love for music began.  Lefty grew up in the oil fields of Texas.

Lefty is the only artist to have four songs on Billboard's top ten at the same time.  He was voted the
Discovery of the year in 1951, and was County Artist of the Year in 1952.  he was the first Country
Artist to play the Hollywood Bowl, and packed the place to capacity.  He was the first Country Artist
to have his name enshrined ina star along Hollywood's famous Walkway of teh Stars.  He's a member
of the Texas Hall of Fame, and 1972 was inducted into the Country Music Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The name "Lefty" came to him after knocking out several opponents with his left during the time he
was in Golden Glove boxing.  Before that his name was william Orville Frizzell.  He began to per-
form in his childhood and it is told at 17 he was playing the roadhouses and honky-tonks of Dallas
and Waco.  He was also said to immulate Jimmie Rodgers, who he was a huge fan of, and then began
to develop his own style.  Used to listen to his parents old "Singing Brakeman" albums and even as
a boy he could play many of his songs on the guitar.

In 1950, Frizzell's Columbia recording "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" became a huge hit,
being a chart position for 20 weeks.  Don Law was insturmental in helping Lefty get into the Nashville
scene, with Lefty leaving Texas.  Buck told me that was not long before he was drinking and women
were a big part of his life, and the money just kept coming in.  He said he loved to spend money and
loved to rent lemos.  In 1951 he had hits with "I Want to Be With You Always," and "Always Late."
Soon he played the Opry and had a huge decade, until rock and roll began to take listners away from
the country pickers.

"Songs of Jimmie Rodgers Sung by Lefty Frizzell" is released in 1951 and is the first tribute album in
country music history.

However he did stay on the charts with "Saginaw, Michigan" in 1954 going to number one.  In 1965
"She's Gone, Gone, Gone" was released and he had a hit with "Watermelon Time in Georgia" for
Columbia in 1970.  In 1973 he signed with ABC Records and "I Never go Around Mirrors," and
"Lucky Arms" and "Falling" kept him on the charts in the 1970s.

On July 19, 1975 Lefty Frizzell died of a stroke.  In 1982 he was elected to the Country Music Hall of
Fame.  Buck said that it was one of the biggest loses that he knows of in country music, when Lefty
died, and he knows how much Lefty influenced many of the "outlaw" bunch like Haggard, Nelson,
Kristofferson, Randy Travis, Keith Whitley and more.  Buck said that he thinks that Elvis got some
of his moves and dress and side burns from Lefty.

© 1998-03 Benford E. Standley. All Rights Reserved.
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