Webb Pierce

Webb Pierce
Webb Pierce, c. 1957
Webb Pierce, c. 1957
Background information
Birth nameMichael Webb Pierce
Born(1921-08-08)August 8, 1921
West Monroe, Louisiana, United States
DiedFebruary 24, 1991(1991-02-24) (aged 69)
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, Vocals
Years active1936–1982
Labels

Michael Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991)[1] was an American country music vocalist, songwriter and guitarist of the 1950s, one of the most popular of the genre, charting more number one hits than any other country and western performer during the decade.

His biggest hit was the honky-tonk-rooted "In the Jailhouse Now", which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one. Pierce also charted number one for several weeks each with his recordings of "Slowly" (1954), "Love, Love, Love" (1955), "I Don't Care" (1955), "There Stands the Glass" (1953), "More and More" (1954), "I Ain't Never" (1959), and his first number one "Wondering", which stayed at the top spot for four of its 27 weeks' charting in 1952.

For many, Pierce, with his flamboyant Nudie suits and twin silver dollar-lined convertibles, became the most recognizable face of country music of the era and its excesses.[2] Pierce was a one-time member of the Grand Ole Opry and was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. A tribute album 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.

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 319/322. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
  2. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Webb Pierce : Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved January 21, 2020.