(1923-1964) Birthplace: Galloway Genre: Country Crossover Influenced: The first country crossover success story encouraged many other artists to try for a style with broader appeal.

One of the first country artists to break away from the stereotypical sequined cowboy image and cross over into the pop charts, Gentleman Jim Reeves had a carefully crafted image as a sophisticated country balladeer. Several of his songs (including "He'll Have to Go" and "Four Walls" have proved to have a remarkably long life, surviving his death in 1964 by revivals for decades. His discography continues with many releases into the nineties.

Born near Carthage in East Texas to a farming couple, James Travis Reeves was raised by his mother after his father died during Jim's first year of life. He grew up listening to Jimmie Rodgers records and imitating them on guitar. Reeves was also a fine athlete at Carthage High School and after graduation attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he played on the baseball team. He even tried minor league baseball briefly after college, but quit after a leg injury and became a radio announcer-disk jockey in Henderson in 1947.

Although he sang locally under a pseudonym (Sonny Day) and recorded a few songs on a small Houston label, his singing career didn't really take off until 1952. By then he was at Shreveport's KWKH and appearing occasionally on its Louisiana Hayride, when he was forced to stand in for Hank Williams. Abbott Records signed Reeves immediately and brought out two recordings that turned gold in 1953, "Mexican Joe" and "Bimbo."

In 1955 Reeves joined the Grand Ole Opry and began recording for RCA. Under the tutelage of Chet Atkins, Reeves pitched his voice lower and turned to ballads. His greatest success followed in 1957 with the memorably echoing "Four Walls." "He'll Have to Go" is a classic from 1960 that was sung in a similar style, and it crossed over to number two in the pop charts. Among his innovations was the piano and strings backup employed on most of his later albums and occasional instrumentation that included such typically classical instruments as oboe and French horn. Pitching himself as "Gentleman Jim," Reeves wore a black suit and tie.

Reeves' success was international, with three tours to Europe. He was especially popular in Britain and South Africa, where he traveled to make a film titled Kimberley Jim, released in 1965. But Reeves career ended abruptly in 1964 when the light plane he was piloting went down near Nashville, killing him and his pianist-manager Dean Manuel. His body was buried in a two-acre plot on Highway 79 near Carthage.