From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Mon Jul 15, 2002  1:12 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Cowboy Copas
 
COWBOY COPAS (By Shaun Mather)

Born Lloyd Estel Copas, 15 July 1913, Adams County, Ohio
Died 5 March 1963, near Camden, Tennessee

Honky tonk singer Cowboy Copas enjoyed 2 spells of chart hits a
decade apart, before being tragically killed in the same plane crash
as Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Copas's son-in-law Randy
Hughes who was piloting the private plane.
Copas dropped out of school at the age of 14, and began playing fiddle
in several string bands around his Ohio home. He went to Cincinnatti
to enter a contest and ended up with radio shows on WLW and later
WKRC. By 1940, Copas had moved to WNOX-Knoxville with a band
called the Gold Star Rangers, where three years later, he was signed
to replace Eddy Arnold as the vocalist for Pee Wee King's Golden West
Cowboys on WSM-Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry. He signed with
King Records in 1946, and went to number four in the country charts
with his debut single Filipino Baby. Further hits followed with Signed
Sealed and Delivered, Tennessee Waltz, Tennessee Moon, Breeze,
I'm Waltzing with Tears in My Eyes, Candy Kisses, Hangman's Boogie
and The Strange Little Girl. After 1952's 'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered,
hit number eight, he somehow failed to chart for more than eight years.
When his King contract expired in 1955, he signed for Dot but was unable
to repeat his earlier successes. His 1958 Dot recording Circle Rock, with
wild piano work by Hargus "Pig" Robbins, has gained cult status among
R&R fans. He continued to play the Opry and signed to Starday in 1960.
His first single for them, Alabam, became a smash (# 1 country, # 63 pop)
and was followed up with the hits, Flat Top and a remake of Signed Sealed
and Delivered. A year later the career was prematurely ended.

More info: http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/5710/copas.html
Recommended listening:
Copasetic : The King & Starday Recordings 1945-60 (Westside WESF 115).
Circle Rock is available on That'll Flat Git It # 5 (Bear Family 15711).