Personalities | Leon Payne | War Years | Country

(Vocals, songwriter, 1917–69)

Born in Alba, Texas, Payne is best known as the writer of ‘Lost Highway’, which became an enduring classic after it was a hit for Hank Williams in 1949, and ‘I Love You Because’ (Jim Reeves, 1958), alongside many others. As a recording artist, he had a No. 1 hit in 1949 with his own version of ‘I Love You Because’. During the 1930s, Payne sang with various south-western bands, including Bill Boyd’s Cowboy Ramblers. After a stint in the 1940s on the Wheeling Jamboree, he moved on to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry in 1949.

Styles & Forms | War Years | Country
Personalities | Minnie Pearl | War Years | Country

Source: The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music, consultant editor Bob Allen

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