Conway Twitty’s Best Songs
Here is a list of the top ten songs recorded by Conway Twitty:
1. The Image of Me
2. Next in Line
3. Hello Darlin
4. To See my Angel Cry
5. After the fire is Gone
6. Louisiana Woman Mississippi Man
7. Lean Me On
8. You’ve never been this far Before
9. Linda on My mind
10. Desperado Love
Conway Twitty (Harold Lloyd Jenkins) was born on September 1, 1933 in Friars Point, Mississippi.
Conway joined his first group at the age of 10. The group called themselves the Phillip Country Ramblers. They performed for the local radio station. Conway loved music. But he had his young heart set on becoming a professional baseball player. He was offered a contract to play for the Philadelphia Phillies. But he wasn’t able to accept their offer. He was drafted into the Korean War where he joined the Army.
While serving in the Army, he joined a county band the Cimarrons. When he returned home, he was once again offered the chance to play with the Phillies. But he turned them down again, after hearing Elvis Presley. He wanted to chase his musical dream.
Conway signed with Sun Records. None of the tracks he recorded were ever released. But he did write the song ROCK HOUSE that was released by Roy Orbison. It was only moderately successful.
In 1957, Conway signed with Mercury. He recorded the song I NEED YOUR LOVIN. It fell to the bottom of the pop charts.
Then in 1958, Conway signed with MGM and recorded the song IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIVE. This song made it to the number one spot, where it stayed for two weeks, earning a Gold Record.
Through the years of 1959 and 1960, Conway recorded a number of popular hits such as: DANNY BOY and LONELY BLUE BOY.
By 1961, Conway’s songs were no longer making it to the charts. Finally, he signed with ABC Paramount and began adding some country music to his mix. Then he wrote the song WALK ME TO THE DOOR for Ray Price and it made it to the top of the country music charts. This made Conway think about turning toward country music. Yet, he didn’t actively do this until 1965, when he abruptly left in a middle of a concert in a New Jersey night club.
In 1965, Conway signed with Decca Records. In the spring of 1966, Conway Twitty’s song: GUESS MY EYES WERE BIGGER THAN MY HEART peaked at number 18 on the billboard charts. For the next couple of years, Conway Twitty had a steady stream of minor hits.
In 1968, Conway Twitty’s song THE IMAGE OF ME broke into the top 10. A few months later, his song NEXT IN LINE became number one.
For the next four years, Conway Twitty had twelve top five singles. Eight of these singles went to number one. Some of these were such hits as: I LOVE YOU MORE TODAY, TO SEE MY ANGEL CRY, HELLO DARLIN, FIFTHTEEN YEARS AGO, and HOW MUCH MORE SHE CAN STAND.
In the late 1970’s, Conway Twitty began performing with Loretta Lynn. Their first duet came out in the spring of 1971, AFTER THE FIRE IS GONE. It was the first of five of their duets that went straight to number one which included songs like: LEAN ME ON, LOUISIANA WOMAN MISSISSIPPI MAN, and AS SOON AS I HANG UP THE PHONE.
Conway and Loretta continued to work together for over a decade, recording an album a year. Together they had 14 top ten hits. They won 4 Duo of the Year Awards from the Country Music Association, 3 Vocal Group of the Year Awards by the Academy of Country Music and a Grammy for Best Vocal Performance by a group.
In 1973, Decca Records was absorbed by MCA records. Now all of Conway Twitty’s music was being recorded for The MCA label. At the same time, some of Conway’s songs were being considered being more suggestive in nature. His hit YOU’VE NEVER BEEN THIS FAR BEFORE was banned from many radio stations. Yet, this did not keep fans from buying it in droves. It also spent three weeks at the number one spot.
During this year, Conway Twitty was known for many hits such as: I SEE THE WANT TO IN YOU EYES, LINDA ON MY MIND, TOUCH THE HAND, AFTER ALL THE GOOD IS GONE, I’VE ALREADY LOVED YOU IN MY MIND, HAPPY BIRTHAY DARLIN, TIGHT FITTIN JEANS and RED NECKIN LOVE MAKIN NIGHT.
In 1981, Conway Twitty signed with Electra and began performing some pop music again. He had some hit singles such as SLOW HAND and THE ROSE.
Yet, he didn’t quit country music. He continued with such hits as: SOMEBODY’S NEEDIN SOMEBODAY, I DON’T KNOW A THING ABOUT LOVE, and DON’T CALL HIM A COWBOY.
His last chart topping hit was DESPERADO LOVE which was released in 1986.
In 1987, Conway returned to MCA and released JULIA and I WANT TO KNOW YOU BEFORE WE MAKE LOVE. Both these hits made it to number two on the record charts.
Then as the nineties began new country music stars began to take over the scene. Conway did not have any more chart toppers. Yet, he still drew huge concert crowds.
Then on June 5, 1993, Conway Twitty suddenly died from an abdominal aneurysm. His death shocked and saddened many fans.
His music and legend lives on today. He left behind a record of 40 number one hits that still hasn’t been beaten, yet today.
