Cowboy Copas
| Cowboy Copas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lloyd Estel Copas |
| Also known as | Cowboy Copas |
| Born |
July 15, 1913 Blue Creek, Ohio |
| Died | March 5, 1963 (aged 49) Camden, Tennessee |
| Genres | country music, honky tonk |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | guitar |
| Years active | 1925–1963 |
| Labels |
King Records Dot Records Starday Records |
| Associated acts | Pee Wee King |
Lloyd Estel Copas (July 15, 1913 – March 5, 1963), "the Country Gentleman of Song", known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, was an American country music singer popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Hawkshaw Hawkins. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Copas was born in 1913 in Blue Creek, Ohio, in Adams County. He began performing locally at age 14, and appeared on WLW-AM and WKRC-AM in Cincinnati during the 1930s. In 1940 he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he performed on WNOX-AM with his band, the Gold Star Rangers.
In 1943, Copas achieved national fame when he replaced Eddy Arnold as a vocalist in the Pee Wee King band and began performing on the Grand Ole Opry. His first solo single, "Filipino Baby", released by King Records in 1946, hit No. 4 on the Billboard country chart and sparked the most successful period of his career.
While continuing to appear on the Opry, Copas recorded several other hits during the late 1940s and early 1950s, including "Signed Sealed and Delivered", "The Tennessee Waltz", "Tennessee Moon", "Breeze", "I'm Waltzing with Tears in My Eyes", "Candy Kisses", "Hangman's Boogie", and "The Strange Little Girl". Copas' 1952 single, "'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered", reached No. 8 on the Billboard country chart, but it was his final top 40 hit for eight years.
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