Born 98 Years Ago Today, the Country Superstar Who Influenced Merle Haggard, George Jones, George Strait, and Countless Others

On this day (March 30) 100 years ago, William Orville Frizzell was born in Corsicana, Texas. History would remember him as Lefty Frizzell, the country singer who wrote and recorded a string of hits in the 1950s and influenced generations of stars. His vowel-bending style, inspired by an early country great, can be heard in the vocal styles of George Jones, George Strait, Randy Travis, Merle Haggard, and many more.

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Frizzell grew up listening to Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music. His blues-leaning vocal delivery and, most of all, his yodel captivated the young son of an oil worker. By the time he was 12 years old, he knew what he wanted to do with his life. Before long, he took the stage for the first time during a school program.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1984, Merle Haggard Became the Second Star To Take This Lefty Frizzell-Penned Classic to the Top of the Country Chart]

According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Frizzell’s career took off quickly. In his late teens, he and his wife, Alice Harper, moved from Texas to Roswell, New Mexico, where he landed a regular gig with the house band at the Cactus Garden dancehall. However, his career was paused when the 19-year-old singer had sex with an underage fan. This led to a six-month stint in county jail. While behind bars, he wrote several poems for his wife that later became songs.

In 1948, Frizzell was once again a free man. He took a shot at the Louisiana Hayride but didn’t make it. So, he went back to Texas and began working in the oil fields. He also sang at a honky tonk called the Ace of Clubs.

Lefty Frizzell Gets a Surprise Call from Nashville

In 1950, Lefty Frizzell took a road trip to Dallas, Texas, from Big Springs to audition for Jim Beck at his studio. He wasn’t interested in Frizzell, but liked one of the songs he had written. As a result, he recorded a demo of Frizzell singing the half-finished song and took it to Nashville. He presented it to Don Law at Columbia Records, hoping he could get someone like Little Jimmy Dickens to cut it. Instead, Law chose to let Frizzell record the song he wrote after offering him a recording contract.

The song was “If You’ve Got the Money I’ve Got the Time.” Frizzell released it as his debut single in September 1950, and it went to No. 1 for three weeks. He backed the single with “I Love You a Thousand Ways,” a poem he wrote while incarcerated. It also topped the country chart.

The next few years saw Frizzell releasing multiple hits that became classics. “Always Late (With Your Kisses),” “Mom and Dad’s Waltz,” and “I Want to Be with You Always” were among his early hits. He saw less chart success as the decade went on. Then, in 1959, he released “The Long Black Veil.” The song only went to No. 6 on the chart, but it was his biggest hit in six years. More importantly, it became a standard thanks to Frizzell’s recording. It has since been covered by a long and diverse list of artists, including Johnny Cash, The Band, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Bruce Springsteen, and the Dave Matthews Band.

Frizzell’s Legacy

The list of country legends who looked to Lefty Frizzell is as long and varied. Waylon Jennings once said that a host of up-and-comers were doing their best to sound like Merle Haggard and didn’t realize they were copying Lefty Frizzell. Haggard called him the most unique thing to happen to country music. Long before young artists were copying Frizzell by way of Haggard, George Jones was doing his best to sing like him. Jones later referred to him as the Elvis Presley of country music.

Lefty Frizzell died in July 1975, cutting his life and career tragically short. Despite his short time in the music world, he changed the sound of country music, leaving behind an immortal legacy.

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