Grand Ole Opry's Reeves dead at 74

Country crooner had a hit with 'Girl on the Billboard'

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Del Reeves, a Grand Ole Opry star who sprinkled his performances with humor and hit No. 1 on the country charts in 1965 with the song "Girl on the Billboard," has died. He was 74.

Reeves died Monday, New Year's Day, after an extended illness, Grand Ole Opry spokeswoman Jessie Schmidt said Tuesday.

During his 40 years at the Opry, he was hailed as one of its best entertainers because of his comic timing. In addition to his music, he did impressions of stars such as Jimmy Stewart, Johnny Cash and Walter Brennan.

His "Girl on the Billboard" sold a million copies and earned him the nickname of the Doodle-Oo-Doo-Doo Kid for the nonsense syllables that he sang with the song's guitar intro.

His other hits included "The Belles of Southern Bell," "Women Do Funny Things to Me," "Looking at the World Through a Windshield," "Good Time Charlie's," "Be Glad" and "The Philadelphia Fillies."

"I want to be remembered as a great showman and a nice guy," he told The Associated Press in 1988. "That's all I could hope for."

Reeves became a regular performer on the Opry in 1966, and performed for up to 1 million people a year on the long-running country show.

"He was one of the best entertainers that ever came through the Opry, I think," said Kelso Herston, who signed Reeves to the United Artists label in the '60s and produced some of his early records, including "Girl on the Billboard." "He was happy-go-lucky. He had a positive attitude and was a great person. A great friend."

Reeves said he turned to impressions and light material early in his career.

"I couldn't really sell a ballad," he said. "It had to be material on the lighter side. Under this clown's face, there's a serious guy. But I never got to show it because I got tagged as that clown. I've been clowning as long as I can remember."

In the late 1960s, Reeves had his own syndicated TV show, "The Del Reeves Country Carnival." He also appeared in several movies, including "Sam Whiskey," starring Burt Reynolds and Clint Walker.

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