Cat. No. VV 1085: CONWAY TWITTY ~ GREATEST HITS. MGM RECORDS SE3849.
USED VINYL RECORD. PART OF A COLLECTION NOW UP FOR SALE.
CONWAY TWITTY (HAROLD LLOYD JENKINS) WAS INITIALLY A PART OF THE 1950s ROCKABILLY SCENE HAVING RECORDED FOR SAM PHILLIPS' SUN LABEL OUT OF MEMPHIS. HAROLD JENKINS ACTUALLY BEGAN PERFORMING WHEN HE WAS TEN YEARS OLD AND FORMED HIS FIRST SINGING GROUP THE PHILLIPS COUNTY RAMBLERS WHEN HE WAS 12 YEARS OLD. THE GROUP HAD THEIR OWN RADIO SHOW ON THE LOCAL STATION KFFA EVERY SATURDAY MORNING. HAROLD WAS DRAFTED INTO THE U.S. ARMY AND SERVED IN THE FAR-EAST DURING WHICH TIME HE ORGANIZED A GROUP CALLED THE CIMMARONS TO ENTERTAIN HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS.
SOON AFTER HEARING ELVIS PRESLEY'S RECORD MYSTERY TRAIN, HAROLD BEGAN WRITING ROCK & ROLL MATERIAL. HE FORMED A BAND CALLED THE ROCKHOUSERS AND WROTE A SONG CALLED 'ROCKHOUSE', A SONG THAT WAS LATER RECORDED BY ROY ORBISON WITHOUT HAROLD'S PERMISSION. HAROLD WENT TO SUN RECORDS A FEW TIMES TO RECORD FOR SAM PHILLIPS BUT NONE OF HIS RECORDINGS WERE RELEASED AT THE TIME. IT APPEARS THAT HAROLD HAD DEVELOPED A FUNDAMENTAL AMBIVALENCE TOWARDS PHILLIPS' RHYTHM AND BLUES-BASED PRODUCTION STYLE.
A MEMBER OF THE CIMMARONS SUGGESTED DON SEAT AS A MANAGER FOR HAROLD AND SEAT INDICATED TO HAROLD THAT HE NEEDED A NAME WITH STAR QUALITY, CONWAY TWITTY NAMED AFTER TWO TOWNS ON A MAP: CONWAY, ARKANSAS AND TWITTY, TEXAS.
IN 1957, UNDER HIS NEW NAME HE RECORDED BRIEFLY FOR MERCURY RECORDS RELEASING TWO SINGLES WHICH FAILED TO SET THE WORLD ON FIRE AND HIS CONTRACT WAS TERMINATED. IN 1958, TWITTY SIGNED WITH MGM RECORDS AND HIS FORTUNES IMPROVED. AN OHIO RADIO STATION HAD AN INSPIRATION, REFRAINING FROM PLAYING 'I'LL TRY' (AN MGM SINGLE THAT WENT NOWHERE) INSTEAD PLAYING THE B-SIDE 'IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE'. AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS THE RECORD EVENTUALLY REACHED THE TOP SPOT IN OVER 22 COUNTRIES. CONWAY TWITTY HAD ARRIVED. TWITTY RECORDED SEVERAL MORE TOP TEN HITS FOR MGM ALL OF WHICH APPEAR ON THIS ALBUM BEFORE BECOMING DISENCHANTED WITH ROCK'N'ROLL AND TRANSFERRED HIS ALLEGIANCE TO COUNTRY MUSIC BECOMING ONE OF THE TOP COUNTRY SINGERS UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1993 FROM AN ANEURYSM.
ALL THE TRACKS ON THIS ALBUM WERE RECORDED DURING HIS STINT AT MGM RECORDS. THE ALBUM IS AN ORIGINAL AMERICAN RELEASE. THE SLEEVE IS HEAVY DUTY CARDBOARD AND IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION ALTHOUGH THERE ARE TWO MINOR CREASES. ONE IN THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER AND THE OTHER IN THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER. BOTH APPARENT IN THE SCAN. THERE ARE NO TEARS IN THE SLEEVE AND VERY LITTLE SOILING ON FRONT AND BACK OF THE SLEEVE. THE RECORD IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. IT HAS BEEN PLAYED RIGHT THROUGH AND PLAYED PERFECTLY.
TRACK LISTING: Side 1: It's Only Make Believe / Danny Boy / Heavenly / I'll Try / Lonely Blue Boy / Halfway To Heaven. Side 2: Is A Blue Bird Blue / The Hurt In My Heart / Mona Lisa / What Am I Living For / She's Mine / The Story Of My Love.
12" VINYL RECORD.
