Red Foley
| Red Foley | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clyde Julian Foley |
| Also known as | Mr. Country Music |
| Born | June 17, 1910 |
| Origin | Blue Lick, kentucky , US |
| Died | September 19, 1968 (aged 58) Fort Wayne, Indiana, US |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | singer-songwriter, musician, radio and TV host, actor |
| Instruments | guitar, banjo |
| Years active | 1930–1968 |
| Labels | Conqueror, Melotone, Decca |
| Associated acts | The Cumberland Valley Boys, The Sunshine Boys, Ernest Tubb, Kitty Wells |
| Website | Red Foley's official website |
Clyde Julian Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968), known professionally as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II.
For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the genre, selling more than 25 million records. His 1951 hit, "Peace in the Valley", was among the first million-selling gospel records. A Grand Ole Opry veteran until his death, Foley also hosted the first popular country music series on network television, Ozark Jubilee, from 1955 to 1960.
He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, which called him "one of the most versatile and moving performers of all time" and "a giant influence during the formative years of contemporary Country music."
Foley was born June 17, 1910 on a 24-acre (9.7 ha) farm in Blue Lick, Kentucky, grew up in nearby Berea, and gained the nickname Red for his hair color. He was born into a musical family, and by the time he was nine was giving impromptu concerts at his father's general store, playing French harp, piano, banjo, trombone, harmonica and guitar. At 17, he won first prize in a statewide talent show. He graduated from Berea High School, and later worked as a $2-a-show usher and singer at a theater in Covington, Kentucky.
In 1930, as a freshman at Georgetown College, Foley was chosen by a talent scout from Chicago's WLS-AM to sing with producer John Lair's Cumberland Ridge Runners, the house band on National Barn Dance. His first single, "Life is Good Enough for Me/Lonesome Cowboy", was released in June 1933 on the Melotone label. In 1937 he returned to Kentucky with Lair to help establish the Renfro Valley Barn Dance stage and radio show near Mt. Vernon in 1939, performing everything from ballads to boogie-woogie to blues. In late 1939, Foley became the first country artist to host a network radio program, NBC's Avalon Time (co-hosted by Red Skelton), and he performed extensively at theaters, clubs and fairs. He then returned for another seven-year stint with National Barn Dance.
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