- As a teen, he worked in the local sawmill where his father worked. He attended Southern University Junior College, and served four years in the U.S. Navy aboard an aircraft carrier.
- He learned to play steel guitar and played in several local bands. After leaving the Navy, he played with a band in Huntsville, Alabama, where he met his future wife, Bernice.
- His best-known song, "Green, Green Grass of Home", has been recorded by several top singers, including Tom Jones, Porter Wagoner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charley Pride, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and the Grateful Dead.
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