Friday, December 3, 2010

And ye shall call him Ferlin

It's hard to imagine why someone born with one of the greatest country singer names ever would want to change it, but Ferlin Husky did exactly that. Twice.  He recorded for a spell as Terry Preston and also did a few humorous recordings under Simon Crum.

But he only arrived at fame under the God given Ferlin Husky, under which he scored three No. 1 country hits. The first was "A Dear John Letter," a duet with Jean Shepard in 1953.  The others were "Gone" in 1957  -- which he originally recorded as Preston five years earlier -- and his most famous of all, the Bob Ferguson penned "Wings of a Dove."  That last gem spent 10 weeks atop the country chart in 1960 and made CMT's list of the 20 Greatest Songs of Faith.

Husky is still alive and kickin' today on his 85th birthday, and we wish him the best. It's been 35 years since he charted with "Champagne Ladies and Blue Ribbon Babies," but you can't take away all those songs he gave us in his prime as Ferlin Husky from Flat River, Missouri, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame earlier this year.

CMT'S GREATEST SONGS OF FAITH
20. Blessed, Martina McBride
19. I'm Working on a Building, Bill Monroe
18. Unanswered Prayers, Garth Brooks
17. Wings of a Dove, Ferlin Husky
16. Love Without End Amen, George Strait
15. Uncloudy Day, Willie Nelson
14. Angel Band, Flatt & Scruggs
13. I Believe, Diamond Rio
12. Farther Along, Emmylou Harris
11. Keep on the Sunny Side, The Carter Family
10. Long Black Train, Josh Turner
9. Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Roy Acuff
8. Love Can Build a Bridge, The Judds
7. Daddy Sang Bass, Johnny Cash
6. I'll Fly Away, Soundtrack
5. Three Wooden Crosses, Randy Travis
4. How Great Thou Art, Elvis Presley
3. Go Rest High on That Mountain, Vince Gill
2. Why Me, Kris Kristofferson
1. I Saw the Light, Hank William

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