Singer, guitarist, songwriter
Born in Corsicana, Texas, in 1928; died in 1975
• Born William Orville, son of a Texas oil driller
• Golden Gloves boxer whose wicked left hook earns him his nickname
• Weaned on the music of Jimmie Rodgers, and later cuts a memorable tribute album of Rodgers’ standards
• Wins fame in early 1940s playing dance-hall and club circuit in Greenville, Waco and Dallas
• First makes Top 10 with two singles in 1950: “I Love You a Thousand Ways” and “If You Got the Money, Honey, I’ve Got the Time”
• Has four songs in the national top 10 simultaneously in 1952
• Regular member of the Grand Ole Opry from the early 1950s
• Invites a devoted 16-year-old fan, Merle Haggard, to open his show at Bakersfield’s Rainbow Gardens in 1953 or 1954
• Features Bakersfield’s Roy Nichols, later to play with Haggard, on lead guitar in early- to mid-1950s
• Plays occasionally at the Blackboard
• 13 career top-10 songs, three No. 1 hits
• Dies in Nashville following a stroke at age 47
Source: http://www.bakersfield.com/static/FP/baksound/lefty.htm
