Country music singer, musician, and songwriter, born in Maynardville, Tennessee, USA. Forced by poor health to abandon a promising baseball career, he polished his skills as a singer and fiddler and began to play publicly in 1932. He performed on radio in the 1930s with the Tennessee Cracklers, then joined the Grand Ole Opry (1938) with the Smoky Mountain Boys, becoming that radio show's first network broadcasting host. During World War 2 he was hugely popular and became known as the King of Country Music, touring the USA and appearing in several films. His unique singing style influenced such musicians as Hank Williams, and among his most famous songs are The Great Speckled Bird and Wabash Cannon Ball (both 1936). Although his style of country music was less popular by the late 1950s, he continued to appear on the Grand Ole Opry. He was co-owner of Acuff-Rose, a music publishing company, and he remained active in Tennessee Republican politics.
Music career
He then turned his attention to his father's fiddle and began playing in a traveling medicine show. Acuff became a regular on the Grand Ole Opry in 1938, forming a backing band called the Smoky Mountain Boys, led by friend and Dobro player Bashful Brother Oswald.
Acuff released several singles in the 1940s such as The Wreck on the Highway, Beneath That Lonely Mound of Clay and The Precious Jewel.
Acuff spent most of the 1950s and 1960s touring constantly, becoming one of the hottest tickets in country music. By the 1970s Acuff performed almost exclusively with the Grand Ole Opry, at Opryland USA, greatly legitimizing it as the top institution in country music.
Political career
Acuff had a brief affair with politics, losing a run for the office of Governor of Tennessee as a Republican in 1948. Acuff later campaigned in 1970 for his friend Tex Ritter in his campaign for GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Tennessee.
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