Conway Featured on Smiths Station, Alabama Mural

One of my goals for this blog is to shine a light on Conway-related places to visit, and today's travel destination is a very recent addition to the map...

For a short time in the early 1950s Conway lived in the small eastern Alabama town of Smiths Station with the Carden family. (Hugh Carden would go on to become Conway's longtime business manager and co-executor of his estate.) He spent his time leading youth revivals in church and even delivered the invocation at the Smiths Station High School’s 1951 Junior-Senior Banquet.

Conway with Mattie Carden, Opelika Observer

There's an exhibit dedicated to Conway at the Historic Jones Store Museum, and this spring he was included on an interactive mural on the side of Rainbow Foods located at 2461 County Road 430.

The mural was painted by John Christian, founder of the Go Georgia Arts Mural Trail, and features a likeness of Conway from the cover of his Twitty/This Time I've Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me album.

Has anyone visited the Smiths Station mural or museum? I would love to see pictures of what's in the exhibit!

Comments

Remembering Loretta ~ 4/14/32-10/4/22

In 10 days my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. One of their favorite stories from early in their marriage was mom coming out of the bathroom one night to see Loretta on some random TV show. She yelled out, "Loretta Lynn!" Dad, asleep in his chair as usual, went running for the front door. When mom asked where he was going, he replied, "to let her in!" Needless to say, they both became so hysterical they never did see Loretta's TV appearance! Loretta was always their favorite. Then I came along and it was Conway who captured my heart, but of course they were a package deal. If you loved one, you loved the other. I was born by emergency c-section. While mom was recovering in the hospital her neighbor gave her a paperback copy of the Coal Miner's Daughter book, which I now have in my collection. The first time my parents left me with a babysitter was to see the movie in the theater. In 1986 I saw Loretta at our local fair. I was only 9 an

My Lifelong Love Affair with Conway Twitty

As a little girl growing up in the 1980's classic country music was the soundtrack of my formative years. My parents' favorites including Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Merle Haggard were always playing in our home, but it was Conway Twitty, an artist I discovered on my own, who captured my heart and has never let it go. My lifelong love affair with Conway began when I heard The Clown and The Rose in close succession . These songs came out in 1982 and 1983 and since I would've only been 5 at the time I assume it was a few years later when I really got into country radio that I first heard them. Even at that young age I remember thinking his voice was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, and that opinion has never wavered. In 1990 my parents started taking me to country music concerts. I was incredibly fortunate to see so many amazing artists, but Conway was always just out of reach. A few different times in the late '80s and early '90s he performed in Glen

Conway Concert Poster Mystery

A couple years ago someone in a Conway Facebook group posted a picture of a concert poster that was going up for sale at auction. As I've been known to do on more than one occasion when it comes to Conway, I went into full detective mode. In the photo I could just barely make out the name of the auction house, and a Google search told me it was in Pennsylvania. It was a silent auction held the first Saturday of each month, with bidders writing down their bid on a tag placed at each item. I called and was told that proxy bids could be placed by anyone who couldn't be present the day of the auction, but items had to be picked up in person. They don't ship anything. In the HUGE state of Pennsylvania, what are the chances I would know someone who lives nearby? I could only think of one person I know in the state *period*, a fellow Conway collector in fact, and as luck would have it he told me he drives past this particular town frequently on the weekends. I placed my bid by pho

Crazy In Love With Conway

Search This Blog