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...

A New Home for Old Treasures

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to purchase some items from the collection of a fan that recently passed away. It seems like this is happening more and more often as his "first generation" fans are leaving us. It's sad but I'm also so happy to see loved ones selling these collectibles as opposed to just throwing them away. It's a way for those of us too young to have witnessed much of his career firsthand to live vicariously though another fan's treasures. This particular seller had some big ticket items that aren't really what I'm focused on right now and many smaller items that I already have, but this is what I ended up adding to my collection... Clock Twitty City Postcard Sewing Kit Fan Club Party Pass Summer 1993 Jim Stafford Theatre Brochure - Just last month I wrote about how the site of Conway's last concert is soon to be demolished. This particular pamphlet would've been printed shortly after the fire at Gilley's tha...

Last Date, From Instrumental to #1 Country Hit

After leaving Elvis Presley's band, pianist Floyd Cramer found work in Nashville as a studio musician. He appeared on many of the records that produced "The Nashville Sound," and eventually stepped out of the shadows as a solo performer, recording a number of instrumental singles and albums. 1960's Last Date became the most popular, named because of its melancholy nature. Conway was performing in Canada when he heard Last Date for the first time, and within a few weeks he had written his own lyrics for it. With no country music connections at the time, he tucked it away in a box with other country songs he had written. Legendary songwriter Boudleaux Bryant also composed lyrics to the melody, resulting in My Last Date (With You) , which went on to become a big hit for Skeeter Davis. Conway probably believed his version of the song would never see the light of day, but as luck would have it Floyd Cramer played the piano at Conway's next rock & roll session i...

Crazy In Love With Conway

Search This Blog