Jim Reeves ( August 20, 1923 – July 31, 1964) was an American country singer.
Reeves was born James Travis Reeves in Galloway, Texas; he became known as a crooner because of his warm velvety voice. His songs were remarkable for their simple elegance highlighted by his rich baritone voice. Songs such as "He'll Have to Go," "Adios Amigo," "Welcome To My World," and "Am I Losing You" demonstrated this approach. Jim Reeves' Christmas songs have been perennial favorites, including songs such as " Silver Bells," "Blue Christmas," and "An Old Christmas Card."
After an injury cut short his minor-league baseball career within the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, his break came while working as announcer on KWKH Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Singer Sleepy LaBeef could not make it on time for a performance on the Louisiana Hayride, according to former Hayride emcee Frank Page, and Reeves was asked to fill in. (Other accounts--including Reeves himself, in an interview later released on the RCA album Yours Sincerely--name Hank Williams as the absentee.) Reeves' singing career was launched.
His first country hits included "I Love You" (a duet with Ginny Wright), "Mexican Joe", "Bimbo" and other songs on both Fabor Records and Abbott Records. Eventually Reeves began to tire of the novelty bracket he'd been forced into, and left for RCA Victor.
In his earliest RCA Victor recordings, Reeves was still singing in the loud style of his first recordings, which style was considered 'standard' for Country/Western performers at that time. He sought to soften his volume, using a lower pitch and singing with lips nearly touching the microphone, but ran into some resistance at RCA--until, in 1957, with the support of his producer Chet Atkins, he used this new style on his version of a 'demo' song of lost love, written from a woman's perspective (and intended for a female singer). "Four Walls" not only took top position on the Country charts, but went 'Top-Ten' on the Popular charts at the same time. Reeves had not only 'opened the door' to wider acceptance for other Country singers, but had also helped usher in a new style of Country music, using violins and lusher background arrangements, soon called "The Nashville Sound."
