On this day in 1930, Doyle Wilburn, one-half of The Wilburn Brothers, was born in Hardy, Sharp County, Arkansas. The Wilburn Brothers, which included Doyle and his brother Teddy, were instrumental in helping fuel the rise of country music stars like Loretta Lynn, Patty Loveless, and the Osborne Brothers. This duo left a lasting impact on the genre as we know it. Here is a little bit of their story.
Doyle and Teddy’s musical journey started with singing with their older siblings, Leslie, Lester, and Geraldine. During the Great Depression, singing for tips became a way for the Wilburn siblings to provide financial relief for their family. Their father, Benjamin Wilburn, purchased a guitar and other instruments from Sears and Roebuck to help encourage this task. In 1940, Roy Acuff, the early “King of Country Music,” discovered the family group and brought them to the Grand Ole Opry. In 1953, Doyle and Teddy would start performing at the Opry as a duo.
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The Wilburns were offered an opportunity to record “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956, the future signature hit of Elvis Presley. However, they opted not to record the track, describing it as “strange” and “almost morbid.”
The Wilburn Brothers went on to have a series of Top Ten hits, including popular songs like “Sparkling Brown Eyes” and “Trouble’s Back In Town”. In the 60s and 70s, they hosted their own TV show, The Wilburn Brothers Show, and then in 1957, they started their own publishing company, Surefire Music. In the 60s, they also formed a talent agency called Wil-Helm Talent Agency.
The Rise of Loretta Lynn and Patty Loveless
When country singer Loretta Lynn first came to Nashville, Doyle Wilburn recognized her talent and gave her a spot on the Wilburns’ road show as their “girl singer.” She also became a regular on their television series. Thanks to Doyle’s persuasion, she also signed a contract with Decca Records. Her relationship with the Wilburn Brothers truly helped propel her rise in country music.
In addition to Lynn, the brothers also had Patty Loveless perform on their tour between 1973 and 1975. Loveless was married to The Wilburn Brothers’ drummer, Terry Lovelace, from 1976 to 1986. This is from whom she created the variant of her stage name, Loveless.
Until Doyle’s passing from lung cancer in 1982, The Wilburn Brothers continued to perform at the Opry as a duo, just as they had before. In 2008, five years after Teddy’s death from congestive heart failure, the Wilburn Brothers were inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.
Photo by: David Redfern/Redferns