Connie B. Gay
| Connie B. Gay | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Connie Barriot Gay |
| Born | August 22, 1914 Lizard Lick, North Carolina |
| Died | December 3, 1989 (aged 75) McLean, Virginia |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Country music entrepreneur and media mogul |
| Years active | 1941–1972 |
| Associated acts | Patsy Cline, Jimmy Dean, Roy Clark, Elvis Presley, Grandpa Jones, Ramona Jones, George Hamilton IV, Billy Grammer, Dub Howington |
Connie Barriot Gay (August 22, 1914 – December 3, 1989) was renowned as a "founding father" and "major force" in country music. He is credited for coining the country music genre, which had previously been called hillbilly music. Gay was the founding president of the Country Music Association (CMA) and co-founder of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The CMA established the Connie B. Gay Award to recognize outstanding service to the CMA by a member not serving on the Board of Directors.
Gay was an entrepreneur who leveraged his musical insight into a profitable empire that extended his legacy into the modern era. He was responsible for discovering some of the talent that now resides in the Hall of Fame, and was himself inducted in 1980, for significant contributions as a music executive.
Gay was born in Lizard Lick, North Carolina, on August 22, 1914. His parents, John William Gay and Mary Etta Ferrell Gay, owned a 17-acre tobacco farm where Gay worked as he grew up. He was prepared to carry on the family operation after his parents retired, and most of his efforts were focused towards that end. He supplemented his income and farming knowledge through employment as a farm extension agent in Caswell County, North Carolina. However, instead of farming, Gay became "a major force in country music"; known as a "media magician" and a "leading entrepreneur of the 1950s".
Gay graduated from North Carolina State University in 1935, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education. He then worked a variety of jobs including a soil surveyor, a proponent of the Rural Electrification program, even a stint as a carny, where he depended on making sales to succeed.
In 1938, Gay became an employee of the US government, working for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in various areas. He became a news commentator in 1941 for a recurring radio broadcast called the National Farm and Home Hour. The show was broadcast daily throughout World War II. Gay, learning media operations during those years, decided to pursue it as a vocation. In 1946 he left his government employment and ventured into the private sector, ultimately becoming a success in the field of country music.
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