Michael Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991) was an American

honky-tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano (tack piano) ...

vocalist, songwriter and guitarist of the 1950s, one of the most popular of the genre, charting more number one hits than any other

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "

In the Jailhouse Now "In the Jailhouse Now" is an American novelty blues song originally found in vaudeville performances from the early 20th century,Slowly" (1954), " Love, Love, Love" (1955), " I Don't Care" (1955), "

There Stands the Glass "There Stands the Glass" is a country song written by Russ Hull, Mary Jean Shurtz, and Autry Greisham. Originally recorded by Blaine Smith in 1952, it was a hit for Webb Pierce in 1953. It was Pierce's fifth release to hit number one on the coun ...

" (1953), " More and More" (1954), "

I Ain't Never "I Ain't Never" is a song co-written by American country music artists Webb Pierce and Mel Tillis. Each co-writer recorded the song separately, with both Pierce's (1959), and years later Tillis's (1972), versions resulting in major hits. Backgro ...

" (1959), and his first number one " Wondering", which stayed at the top spot for four of its 27 weeks' charting in 1952. He recorded country gospel song "I Love Him Dearly" also. His iconic hit "Teenage Boogie" was covered by British band T. Rex as "

I Love to Boogie "I Love to Boogie" is a song by English rock band T. Rex. It was recorded in May 1976 and released as a single in June by record label EMI. It later appeared on T. Rex's final studio album, 1977's '' Dandy in the Underworld''. Its B-side, "Ba ...

" in 1974, but credited as being written by the group's lead singer

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan was posthumously inducted int ...

and not Pierce. The music of Webb was also made popular during the British rockabilly scene in the 1980s and 1990s. For many, Pierce, with his flamboyant

Nudie suit Nuta Kotlyarenko ( uk, Нута Котляренко; December 15, 1902 – May 9, 1984), known professionally as Nudie Cohn, was an American tailor who designed decorative rhinestone-covered suits, known popularly as "Nudie Suits", and other el ...

s and twin silver dollar-lined convertibles, became the most recognizable face of country music of the era and its excesses. Pierce was a one-time member of the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

and was posthumously inducted into the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...

. A

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

in his honor (produced by singer-songwriter Gail Davies) was released in 2001 entitled ''Caught in the Webb – A Tribute To Country Legend Webb Pierce''.

Biography

Born in

West Monroe, Louisiana West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the Ouachita River, across from the neighboring city of Monroe. The two cities are often referred to as the Twin Cities of northeast Louisiana. Its population ...

, United States, as a boy Pierce was infatuated with

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

films and his mother's hillbilly records, particularly those of

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

and

Western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...

and

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

groups. He began to play guitar before he was a teenager and at 15 was given his own weekly 15-minute show, ''Songs by Webb Pierce,'' on KMLB-AM in Monroe. He enlisted in the US Army Air Forces, and in 1942 he married Betty Jane Lewis. After he was discharged, the couple moved to

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, where Pierce worked in the men's department of a Sears Roebuck store. In 1947, the couple appeared on KTBS-AM's morning show as "Webb Pierce with Betty Jane, the Singing Sweetheart". Pierce also performed at local engagements, developing his unique style that was once described as "a wailing whiskey-voiced tenor that rang out every drop of emotion."

Rise to fame

In 1949, California-based

4 Star Records 4 Star Records was a record label that recorded many well-known country music acts in the 1950s. The label, founded after World War II, was home to singers such as Hank Locklin, Maddox Brothers and Rose, Rose Maddox, Webb Pierce, Cousin Ford Le ...

signed the Webbs under separate contracts, with his wife signed for duets with her husband under the name Betty Jane and Her Boyfriends. However, success only came for Pierce, and in the summer of 1950, the couple divorced. He moved to KWKH-AM and joined ''

Louisiana Hayride ''Louisiana Hayride'' was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of th ...

'' during its first year, and devised a plan to achieve instant "stardom". Before the show, he bought tickets for several young girls in line and asked them to sit in the first row, and after each of his songs to scream and beg for more. It worked; their enthusiasm spread throughout the audience. Pierce assembled and performed with a band of local Shreveport musicians, including pianist

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatu ...

, guitarist-vocalist

Faron Young Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country music producer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. Hits including "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and " Live Fast, Love Hard, D ...

, bassist

Tillman Franks Tillman Ben Franks, Sr. (September 29, 1920 – October 26, 2006), was an American bassist and songwriter and the manager for a number of country music artists including Johnny Horton, David Houston, Webb Pierce, Claude King, and the Carli ...

and vocalists Teddy and Doyle Wilburn. He also founded a record label, Pacemaker; and Ark-La-Tex Music, a publishing company, with Horace Logan, the director of the ''Hayride.'' On Pacemaker, Pierce made several records between 1950 and 1951 designed to attract radio play around Louisiana.

Shreveport to Nashville

In 1951, Pierce got out of his 4 Star contract and was quickly signed by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. His second single, "Wondering", became his breakthrough hit, climbing to No. 1 early in 1952. Pierce moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

where he met and married his second wife, Audrey Greisham. In June 1952, he had his second No. 1 single with "

That Heart Belongs to Me "That Heart Belongs to Me" is a country music song written and recorded by Webb Pierce. It was released in 1952 on the Decca label. In June 1952, the song reached the No. 1 spot on the Jockey chart. It peaked at No. 2 on the Juke Box chart and No. ...

". In September 1952, the

needed to fill the vacancy left by the firing of

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

, and Pierce was invited to join the cast. After Williams' death, he became the most popular singer in country music; for the next four years, every single he released hit the top ten, with ten reaching No. 1, including "There Stands the Glass" (1953), " Slowly" (1954), " More and More" (1954) (a million seller), and "

In the Jailhouse Now "In the Jailhouse Now" is an American novelty blues song originally found in vaudeville performances from the early 20th century,Back Street Affair", "

Why Baby Why "Why Baby Why" is a country music song co-written and originally recorded by George Jones. Released in late 1955 on Starday Records and produced by Starday co-founder and Jones' manager Pappy Daily, it peaked at 4 on the ''Billboard'' country c ...

", "Oh, So Many Years", and "Finally"; the latter two being duets with

Kitty Wells Ellen Muriel Deason (August 30, 1919 – July 16, 2012), known professionally as Kitty Wells, was an American pioneering female country music singer. She broke down a barrier to women in country music with her 1952 hit recording "It Wasn't God W ...

. His 1954 recording of "Slowly" was one of the first country songs to include a

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

. He made regular appearances on ABC-TV's ''

Ozark Jubilee ''Ozark Jubilee'' is a 1950s United States network television program that featured country music's top stars of the day. It was produced in Springfield, Missouri. The weekly live stage show premiered on ABC-TV on January 22, 1955, was renamed ' ...

'' including as a guest host once a month during 1956. In 1958, he recorded a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

record, "The New Raunchy"/"I'll Get by Somehow" for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

under the name Shady Wall. On February 19, 1957, Pierce resigned from the Opry after he refused to pay commissions on bookings and for associated talent.Sachs, Bill "Pierce Takes Leave of WSM and 'Opry'" (March 2, 1957), ''The Billboard'', p. 22 Pierce continued charting until 1982 with a total of 96 hits; and he toured extensively and appeared in the films '' Buffalo Gun,'' ''Music City USA,'' ''

Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar ''Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar'' is a 1965 American comedy film directed by Victor Duncan, and is notable for the reunion of Bowery Boys' actors Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall, who had last appeared in a film together nine years earlier—in ''Cra ...

,'' and ''

The Road to Nashville ''The Road to Nashville'' is a 1967 American musical film directed by Will Zens and starring Marty Robbins and Connie Smith."The Road to Nashville". ''Films in Review'', Volume 30. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, 1979. Plot A Hol ...

Lavish lifestyle and later years

As his music faded from the spotlight, Pierce became known for his excessive lifestyle. He had North Hollywood tailor Nudie Cohen, who had made flamboyant suits for Pierce, line two

convertibles A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

with silver dollars. He built a $30,000 guitar-shaped swimming pool at his Nashville home which became a popular paid tourist attraction – nearly 3,000 people visited it each week – causing his neighbors, led by singer

Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty ...

, to file suit and prevail against Pierce to end the tours. Webb Pierce - with Jerry Galloway and the Steamrollers - New Jersey - c

He remained with Decca and its successor, MCA, well into the 1970s, but by 1977 he was recording for

Plantation Records Plantation Records was a country music record label of the 1960s and 1970s helmed by Shelby Singleton. The label is best known for Jeannie C. Riley's 1968 hit "Harper Valley PTA", which topped both the country and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts. ...

. Even though he had occasional minor hits, charting in a 1982 duet with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

, a remake of "In the Jailhouse Now", he spent his final years tending to his businesses, and his legend became clouded due to his reputation as a hard drinker. Webb and his daughter Debbie recorded the ballad "On My Way Out" as the Pierces, and she was a member of the country group Chantilly in the early 1980s. Pierce waged a long battle with pancreatic cancer, which he lost on February 24, 1991, and was buried in the

Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 660 Thompson Lane in Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of the largest cemeteries in Nashville. Among those interred or entombed in the cemetery, there are many prominent members of the country music ge ...

in Nashville.

Legacy

Pierce has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

at 1600 Vine Street. He was inducted, posthumously, into the

in October 2001 and into the

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF) is a non-profit hall of fame based in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, that seeks to honor and preserve the state's music culture and heritage and to promote education about the state ...

in 2008. ''Caught in the Webb–a Tribute to the Legendary Webb Pierce'' was released on Audium Records in 2001. Produced and arranged by singer-songwriter Gail Davies, this album features

Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

The Del McCoury Band The Del McCoury Band is a Grammy award-winning American bluegrass music, bluegrass band. History Originally the band was called Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals with Del on guitar and his brother Jerry on bass. The band went through a number of ch ...

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Reco ...

Allison Moorer Allison Moorer (born June 21, 1972) is an American singer/songwriter. She signed with MCA Nashville in 1997 and made her debut on the U.S. Billboard Country Chart with the release of her debut single, “A Soft Place To Fall,” which she co-wr ...

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album '' Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerab ...

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the daughter of country music singer Mel Tillis and ex-wife of songwriter Bob DiPiero. Tillis recorded unsuccessful ...

Dale Watson Dale Watson may refer to: * Dale Watson (FBI), former Assistant Director for the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI * Dale Watson (singer) (born 1962), American country singer, guitarist, songwriter and author * Dale Watson (Jamaican footballer) ...

The Jordanaires The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocal ...

, Gail Davies, and others. Gail Davies herself first charted in 1978 with "No Love Have I", a No. 26 Billboard Country hit that Pierce had recorded (and taken to No. 4) in 1959. Proceeds from this album will benefit The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation. Footage of Pierce singing "There Stands the Glass" was featured in the 2005 documentary ''

No Direction Home ''No Direction Home: Bob Dylan'' is a 2005 documentary film by Martin Scorsese that traces the life of Bob Dylan, and his impact on 20th-century American popular music and culture. The film focuses on the period between Dylan's arrival in New ...

'' by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

about early influences on

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. Pierce's hit single "More and More" was played in the title credits of the 2006 horror film ''

The Hills Have Eyes ''The Hills Have Eyes'' is an American horror franchise that consists of four horror films, as well as a graphic novel and merchandise. The first film was released in 1977, '' The Hills Have Eyes''; the series was rebooted in a 2006 remake. T ...

''.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Webb Pierce, from the 1955 sheet music to

Guest singles

References

External links

*
Webb Pierce recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Webb 1921 births 1991 deaths American country singer-songwriters American country guitarists American male guitarists Country Music Hall of Fame inductees People from West Monroe, Louisiana Musicians from Shreveport, Louisiana Deaths from pancreatic cancer Grand Ole Opry members Four Star Records artists Decca Records artists Apex Records artists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Singer-songwriters from Louisiana Guitarists from Louisiana Country musicians from Louisiana 20th-century American male musicians United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American male singer-songwriters