Sometimes I think he is the greatest

Lefty Frizzell is the second greatest country singer ever.

Frizzell started out playing clubs and radio shows in his home state of Texas through the Forties. By the end of the decade, Frizzell was working in the oil fields during the day and playing clubs at night. One night, Jim Back, a local producer, heard Frizzell and asked him to sing some demos. One of the songs was sent to Little Jimmy Dickens who hated it. Dickens producer – Don Law – liked the song and the singer. He signed Frizzell to Columbia Records and released the song as Frizzell’s first single. “If You’ve Got The Money, I’ve Got The Time” went to number one, so did the song on the flipside of the single.

In 1951, Frizzell had four songs in the Top Ten simultaneously. He continued to record until 1955 when Frizzell announced that he was burned out. He stopped recording although he did continue playing concerts and The Town Hall Party radio show.

It was 1959 before Frizzell decided he liked a song enough to record it. What a song it he picked. “Long Black Veil” is my favorite country song ever. There was one more number one record in 1964.

After that was the long decline. Frizzell had become an alcoholic and Columbia cut back on the amount of records they would release, cutting down on the chance of Frizzell having any more hit records. Frizzell continued touring and switched to ABC Records in ’72 but didn’t have any big records. He developed high blood pressure but refused to take the prescribed medicine because he thought it would interfere with his drinking. Frizzell died of a stroke on July, 19, 1975. He was only 47 years old.