Who owned this car and why is it significant? Here are a couple of hints. The owner:
- is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame
- appeared only once at the Grand ‘Ol Opry because he/she “didn’t fit the program”
- was signed in 1954 by Sun Records to broaden their audience base with someone who ‘had the Negro sound and the Negro feel’ of music
- failed an audition for a local vocal quartet, the Songfellows, as he/she “couldn’t sing” (because they didn’t have an ear for harmony).
- was rejected in a tryout for a band’s lead vocalist and told to stick to truck driving “because you’re never going to make it as a singer”.
- failed an audition for Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts on the CBS television network
- got his/her first big break on the Louisiana Hayride radio program but had an attack of the nerves on the first set
- traded in his/her child-size guitar for $8….which was subsequently tossed in the garbage…for a $175 Martin guitar after signing a year contract of Saturday night performances on Hayride
Tomorrow: Answer to ‘the who?’