From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Tue Dec 3, 2002 6:18 am Subject: Born To Be With You : Ferlin Husky FERLIN HUSKY (By Shaun Mather) Born 3 December 1925, on a farm near Flat River, Missouri Ferlin Husky was a successful country singer in the late '50s and early '60s, but he never became as big as the likes of Faron Young or proved as influential. He barely gets a mention in the history books but he was definitely there when it happened. He enjoyed a string of country hits including two major ones in "Gone" and "Wings of a Dove", both of which spent ten weeks at the top of the charts. He was also known as a honky tonk singer called Terry Preston and a country comic named Simon Crum who even dabbled in a bit of rockabilly. Born and raised on a farm in Missouri, he played guitar as a child and entertained the troops on board his ship during World War II, where he was serving in the Merchant Marines. After the war he became a DJ in Missouri before moving to Bakersfield, CA, a hotbed of country music. He began performing as Terry Preston, feeling that Ferlin Husky sounded too country (that's the type of thing they do nowadays isn't it?). He was spotted at one of his gigs by Cliffie Stone who became his manager and landed a record contract with Capitol Records in 1953. At this time he also he reverted to being Ferlin Huskey. His first few singles came and went before he hit as part of Jean Shephard's "A Dear John Letter" and it's follow-up, "Forgive Me John," later in the year. Ferlin didn't have a solo hit until 1955, when "I Feel Better All Over (More Than Anywhere's Else)" and its flipside, "Little Tom," entered the country Top Ten. The first time I heard him was on the Capitol Rockabillies album, with his 1956 great rural cautionary tale, "Slow Down Brother". The same year he recorded "Bop Cat Bop" under the Simon Crum alter-ego. He began to hit regularly, a biggie coming in 1957 with "Gone" which managed to cross over to the pop charts where it peaked at number four. In 1958 he went to number two in the country charts as Crum with "Country Music Is Here to Stay." In 1960, he had another biggie with the gospel "Wings of a Dove," which again went number one country, number 12 pop. He had no Top Ten hits after "Wings of a Dove" until 1966 when "Once," went to number four, followed a year later by his last Top Tenner "Just for You." He continued to have small hits until 1975 but after a heart attack in 1977 he retired before returning in the '80s and '90s to perform as a regular on the Grand Ole Opry, as well as Christy Lane's Theater in Branson, MO. Recommended listening: Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol. Vintage - Capitol. P.S. by Dik (a big Simon Crum fan) : In September of this year, Collector's Choice released "Country Music Is Here To Stay : The Complete Simon Crum a.k.a. Ferlin Husky on Capitol". 21 tracks, five previously unissued.