LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Red Foley
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Red Foley was one of Country music’s most versatile and beloved singers and "a superstar of his time." He had a constant succession of hit records between 1944 and 1956, selling about 25 million records and remaining one of the biggest selling Country artists of all time. A shy child, Red was happiest on his own, playing an old battered guitar given to him by his father, who ran the general store. His father ... sold harmonicas and Red used to practice on them to his heart’s content. His mother was proud of Red’s vocal potential and hired a music coach but Red wasn’t happy with this arrangement so this was abandoned. Music wasn’t his only interest and he also excelled in sports, particularly basketball and track events.
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NOVEMBER 8, 1999: Fifty years ago, Red Foley was one of country music's movers and shakers. Host of the "Prince Albert" portion of the Grand Ole Opry, broadcast weekly on the NBC network, he helped catapult the Opry to nationwide prominence. He ... played a hand in establishing Nashville as a center of country recording: With the opening of Castle Studios in the summer of 1947, Foley's presence here, along with that of Ernest Tubb, convinced Decca Records executive Paul Cohen to move his recording operations to the future Music City. At the time, both Foley and Tubb were two of the label's hottest sellers.
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(Reverse) Clyde Julian "Red" Foley - Foley costarred in ABC's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1962-63. "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" was number one on country and pop charts; "Peace in the Valley" first gospel song to sell over 1 million copies. First Kentuckian elected to Country Music Hall of Fame, 1967; inducted into Ky. Music Hall of Fame, 2002. Died Sept. 19, 1968. Presented by City of Berea.
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More great stuff from Red Foley's late-'40s heyday. This CD reissues twenty tracks from Red's prime postwar recordings on the Decca label, as well as a few transcription recordings made during the War. Foley's pop potential is readily apparent: he has a smooth voice that never wavers or strains, and a mellow approach that stands at odds with the rowdy joshing-around that other country stars strived for at the time. He ... had a way of singing a novelty sone so that it sounded like a weeper, and a sense of how to play around the beat that helped subtly accentuate the bouncy rhythms, much like Bing Crosby, the king crooner of the day. Unfortunately, this last knack was what Foley really lost when he embraced the Nashville Sound -- his sense of bounce and his sense of style. So if you want to check out an Opry star before he lost his edge, check this out.
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Arthur "Red" Foley was born in Elmhearst, New York on December 26th 1928. He graduated from Newtown High School (same school attended by Omar Minaya, Mets G.M) on Feb 4th 1947. That same day, he went to work for the Daily News, where he stayed till July 1982.
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Curator's Note: Unfortunately, the marriage of country music legend Red Foley and Eva Overstake (who ... performed under the name of Judy Martin) ended in 1951 when Eva overdosed on sleeping pills and died. Eva apparently feared Red was having an affair with Sally Sweet, whom he later married.
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Red Foley