Claude King
February 5, 1923 – March 7, 2013
Claude King was a popular country singer throughout the ’60s and ’70s. Born near Shreveport, Louisiana, King was just 12 years old when he picked up the guitar. During the ’50s, he became a regular on the widely popular radio program, Louisiana Hayride, often sharing the bill with the likes of Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams. In 1961, King signed with Columbia Records’ Nashville label and commenced to release a series of country hits that started with 1661’s “Big River Big Man.” Later that year, he scored another hit with “The Comancheros.” His biggest success came in the Spring of 1962. “Wolverton Mountain” sat at the top of the Country charts for nine of the 26 weeks it resided there. The record also cracked the Top 10 of the pop charts and went on to sell over a million copies. The hits continued for the next ten years, with 29 in all finding their way to the charts. King continued to record and perform well into the 2000s and even found time to act in several movies along the way. Claude King passed away on March 7, 2013, but not before celebrating his 67th wedding anniversary a few weeks earlier. He was 90.
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