On this day (November 2) in 2015, 1970s country music hitmaker Tommy Overstreet died at his home in Hillsboro, Oregon, at age 78. While never managing to top the charts, Overstreet would go on to land 11 Top 10 hits on the U.S. country charts from 1971 to 1979. He specialized in heartfelt declarations of love, including the No. 2 “Ann (Don’t Go Runnin’) and “Heaven Is My Woman’s Love” (No. 3). Later, Overstreet would gain a whole new audience thanks to frequent guest appearances on the popular TV variety show Hee Haw.
Today, we’re delving into Tommy Overstreet’s life and career on the 11th anniversary of his passing.
Tommy Overstreet Followed in His Famous Cousin’s Footsteps
Born on September 10, 1937, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Thomas Cary Overstreet decided on his career path at an early age. He previously spoke of the encouragement from his cousin Gene Austin — whom he called his uncle — a singing star of the 1930s and 1940s.
“My uncle told me that you had to sing from the heart and you had to have songs that touched and spoke to other people’s hearts,” the singer told Billboard in 2014. “That’s what I tried to do with all of my songs. I tried to think about who I was singing to, and I wanted to touch their hearts.”
Overstreet began his musical career at age 17, singing on country and western star Slim Willet’s television show in Abilene before switching to pop music on the Houston, Texas radio circuit.
While studying broadcasting at the University of Texas, Overstreet played in local clubs under the name Tommy Dean From Abilene and toured frequently with Austin.
He Got His Start Writing for Pat Boone
After a stint in the U.S. Army, Tommy Overstreet moved to Los Angles in the early 1960s to pursue a songwriting career. He wrote songs for pop crooner Pat Boone before returning to Texas and forming a group called the Shadows. Overstreet recorded several songs during this period, but none ever saw the light of day.
In 1967, he moved to Nashville to manage Dot Records. Also signing a recording contract with the label, Overstreet got his first taste of chart success in 1971 when his song “Gwen (Congratulations)” peaked at No. 5 on the U.S. country songs chart.
He scored the biggest hit of his career with the following year’s “Ann (Don’t Go Runnin’)”, which just missed the top spot.
More top 10 hits would follow, including “Send Me No Roses”, 1974’s “Jeannie Marie) You Were A Lady,” 1975’s “That’s When My Woman Begins” and 1977’s “Don’t Go City Girl On Me”.
Overstreet’s commercial success had begun to wane by the end of the 1970s, and he charted for a final time with 1986’s “Next to You”. However, he continued touring with his group the Nashville Express, performing more than 300 concerts a year at his peak.
Overstreet was also one of the first country music performers to set up shop in Branson, Missouri. He remained a highly popular performer there until ill health forced him to retire in the late 1990s.
Featured image by Arthur Grimm/United Archives via Getty Images
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