Roy Acuff

From Wikipedia Roy Claxton Acuff September 15 1903 November 23 1992 was an American country music singer fiddler and promoter Known as the King of Country Music Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and hoedown format to the star singerbased format that helped make it internationally successful In 1952 Hank Williams told Ralph Gleason Hes the biggest singer this music ever knew You booked him and you didnt worry about crowds For drawing power in the South it was Roy Acuff then God Acuff began his music career in the 1930s and gained regional fame as the singer and fiddler for his group the Smoky Mountain Boys He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1938 and although his popularity as a musician waned in the late 1940s he remained one of the Oprys key figures and promoters for nearly four decades In 1942 Acuff cofounded the first major Nashvillebased country music publishing companyAcuffRose Musicwhich signed acts such as Hank Williams Roy Orbison and The Everly Brothers In 1962 Acuff became the first living inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame