I must have been 10 when I first heard the song "He'll Have to Go". I was at my aunt's house, spending the night and she had let me borrow her small AM radio to fall asleep. The only station I could get to come in was a static filled country station. And that's the night I fell in love with that song and with the voice of Jim Reeves. At 10 :) He was born in Galloway, Texas..and had 8 brothers and sisters. His father died when he was 10 months old and his mother farmed in order to raise her kids. By the time he was 12, he had appeared on a radio show in Shreveport, Louisiana. Though he was fascinated with music, Jim also was a talented athlete and during his teens he decided he was going to pursue a career as a baseball player. Winning an athletic scholarship to the University of Texas, Reeves enrolled at the school to study speech and drama, but he dropped out after six weeks to work at the shipyards in Houston. He played in the semi-professional leagues before signing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1944. He stayed with the team for three years before seriously injuring his ankle and thereby ruining his chances of a prolonged atheletic career. Some of these favorites of mine are lesser known "hits" but , if you ever come across them, give a listen! "I'm Gettin' Better" , "If Heartaches are the Fashion" , "Til the End of the World", "Softly and Tenderly" "Gentleman Jim" was and is known for his smooth velvet voice, his impeccable attire on and off stage...as well as his down to earth personality and friendliness. In 1981, studio engineers created "duets" between Reeves and Patsy Cline (who did not record together in life) and produced the No. 5 hit, "Have You Ever Been Lonely" On July 31, 1964, the one-engine plane he was piloting crashed near Nashville in heavy rain, killing the singer and bandmember Dean Manuel. Mr. Reeves is buried near Carthage , Texas.