Conway Twitty, whose real name was Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was a well-known American country music performer. He was also very well known for his work in the pop, rock, rock and roll, and R&B genres. Fans of country music were most familiar with the singer from his timeless duets with Loretta Lynn, with whom he shared five Academy of Country Music Awards and four Country Music Association Awards. With Loretta Lynn, Conway co-wrote some of the most well-known country tunes; twelve of their duets reached the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Following the Fire is Gone, As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone, Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man, Feelins, Hello Darlin, It’s Only Make Believe, Crazy in Love, and Desperado Love are some of his well-known songs. With about 50 singles on the country and rock charts, he is regarded as one of the best country singers of all time. Despite his professional success, he had a turbulent personal life; he had been married four times and divorced three times. This exceptionally gifted singer’s life ended suddenly in 1993 as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Early Childhood & Life
Floyd Jenkins and Velma gave birth to Conway Twitty as Harold Lloyd Jenkins on September 1, 1933, in Friars Point, Mississippi. His great-uncle named him after the well-known “silent movie” actor Harold Lloyd.
Jenkins’ family relocated to Helena, Arkansas, when he was eleven years old, and there he started his first singing group, the “Phillips County Ramblers.”
He began hosting his own weekly local radio show when he was twelve years old. As a teenager, he also started playing baseball. After graduating from high school, he was given the chance to play with the “Philadelphia Phillies,” but he was called up for the army instead, where he created the “Cimmerons” band and entertained his fellow troops.
Jenkins made the decision to write songs after hearing Elvis Presley’s well-known tune “Mystery Train” and proceeded to Sun Studios in Memphis to collaborate with Sam Phillips.
Career of Conway Twitty
Jenkins discovered that his original name was not a good fit for the entertainment industry before starting a musical career. Many theories exist as to how he came to use the stage name Conway Twitty. In an interview with “The Billboard Book of Number One Hits,” Fred Bronson once recalled that Jenkins chose his stage name after noticing the names of two locations on a road map: Conway, in Arkansas, and Twitty, in Texas.
Another claim states that Jenkins met W. Conway Twitty Jr. through his manager in a New York City restaurant and chose the name because it had “a particular flair” and may work well for him in the entertainment industry. Jenkins himself did not independently verify either of the claims.
Conway Twitty joined MGM Records in the late 1950s, and together they released the song “It’s Only Make Believe,” which went on to top the pop music charts in 21 other nations in addition to the United States. People initially thought that Twitty was actually utilizing the alias for his most recent recordings since his voice resembled that of the iconic performer Elvis Presley.
Midway through the 1960s, Conway started to concentrate more on country music, which utterly transformed his career. He continued to release records over the next years.
His extremely well-liked collaboration with the iconic country music performer Loretta Lynn helped both vocalists’ career trajectories. Together, the pair put out 11 studio albums, many of which went platinum.
Some of the most well-known tunes in the history of country music were written as a result of the legendary collaboration between Conway Twitty and Lynn. Following the Fire Is Gone, Lead Me On, Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man, As Soon As I Hang Up the Phone, Feelins, I Still Believe in Waltzes, and I Can’t Love You Enough are some of their biggest songs. Twelve of the songs they put out in the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart’s top 10.
Bigger Works of Conway Twitty
One of the greatest country singers of all time, Conway Twitty also made a significant impact to the rock and roll genre. Its Only Make Believe, his debut single, rose to the top of the American pop music charts and is now considered one of his best songs. In a number of other nations, it also peaked at No. 1. He and drummer Jack Nance wrote the song.
His partnership with Loretta Lynn helped define the apex of his career. On Billboard’s hot country singles chart, 12 of their duet recordings made it to the top ten. Following the Fire is Gone, Lead Me On, Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man, As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone, and Feelins are some of the songs on this album.
Recognition & Achievements
Five of the seven times Conway Twitty received the prestigious “Academy of Country Music” award were alongside Loretta Lynn. He won the Pioneer Award in 2008 and the Top Male Vocalist award on his own in 1975.
He shared four Country Music Association awards with Loretta Lynn between 1972 and 1975.
Along with Lynn, he shared the Grammy for “Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” in 1971. Later in 1999, he was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame induction.
He received inductions into the Halls of Fame of the Delta Music Museum and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Individual Life of Conway Twitty
In his lifetime, Conway Twitty married three different women four times. In 1953, he was hitched to Ellen Matthews for the first time. Due to Ellen’s pregnancy with Conway’s child, the couple decided to get married. Unfortunately, the union did not survive long and ended in divorce a year later.
In 1955, he wed Temple Medley, and the two went on to have three kids together. After divorcing in 1970, the pair quickly remarried. In 1985, the marriage was eventually ended by a second divorce. In 1987, he later wed Dolores Virginia Henry, with whom he stayed united until his passing.
Conway fell ill and passed out on stage at the Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson, Missouri, on June 4, 1993. He was taken to the hospital right away, but a stomach aortic aneurysm claimed his life the following morning. Under his original name of Harold L. Jenkins, his dead body was interred at the Sumner Memorial Gardens in Gallatin, Tennessee.
Conway Twitty’s Net Worth
Conway Twitty’s net worth was $14 million at the time of his death in 1993. He was an American country music singer. Conway Twitty was born in September 1933 in Friars Point, Mississippi, and died in June 1993. In addition to playing the guitar, he also performed in the country, rock and roll, and rockabilly genres. With the publication of Conway Twitty Sings in 1959, Twitty went on to release 57 studio albums. His albums Conway and Cross Winds both peaked at number one on the Canadian Country chart, and his albums You’ve Never Been This Far Before / Baby’s Gone, Honky Tonk Angel, and Linda on My Mind all peaked at number one on the US Country list. He had many other #1 successes in addition to his single “It’s Only Make Believe,” which peaked at #1 in the US, Canada, and the UK. Twitty was renowned for working with Loretta Lynn on numerous occasions. At the age of 59, Conway Twitty passed away from an abdominal aortic aneurysm on June 5, 1993.