Several artists have permanently etched their names into the annals of country music history. One of those is Roy Acuff, of whom the great Hank Williams once said, “He’s the biggest singer this music ever knew. You booked him and you didn’t worry about crowds. For drawing power in the South, it was Roy Acuff, then God.” Helping move the genre from its original string format to a more singer-centered approach, it was Acuff who first popularized “Blues Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain,” Willie Nelson’s first No. 1 hit. On this day in 1992, Acuff died from congestive heart failure at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville. He was 89 years old.
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Roy Claxton Acuff was born September 15, 1903, to a prominent Union County family in Maynardville, Tennessee. Surrounded by music from an early age, Acuff sang in the chapel choir at Knoxville’s Central High School. He also excelled in three different sports, initially hoping to pursue a career as a professional baseball player. However, a sunstroke brought those dreams to a halt. Unable to “stand any sunshine at all,” Roy Acuff began practicing the fiddle on his family’s front porch after the sun went down.
Modern Country Music Owes Everything to Roy Acuff
After a brief stint on the ’30s medicine show circuit, Roy Acuff formed a group called the Crazy Tennesseans, later renamed the Smoky Mountain Boys. Talent agent Arthur Satherly discovered Acuff in 1936, securing him a contract with Columbia Records.
“I was one of the first fellas who reared back and hit a microphone with a strong voice,” Acuff frequently said.
Eventually, Acuff became a frequent flyer at the Grand Ole Opry, performing songs like “Great Speckled Bird” and “Wabash Cannonball.” In 1942, he teamed up with songwriter Fred Rose to form the Acuff-Rose Publishing Co. It became the world’s leading country music publisher.
After Acuff’s death, country star Porter Wagoner told the Los Angeles Times, I think he’ll be missed probably more than any entertainer or singer ever has in the history of our business, because Roy Acuff was certainly known worldwide. . . . I don’t think anyone will ever replace Roy Acuff.”
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