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Webb Michael Pierce, born on 9 August 1921 in West Monroe, Louisiana, was an American country music vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist who performed as Webb Pierce. Inspired by Gene Autry films and his mother's hillbilly records, he began playing guitar as a teenager and had his own weekly radio show by the age of 15. In 1947, he started performing with his wife, Betty Jane Lewis, on KTBS-AM in Shreveport, Louisiana. His breakthrough came in 1952 when his second single "Wondering" became his first number-one hit. He moved to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry in September 1952, following Hank Williams' departure. He charted numerous hits throughout the decade, including "In the Jailhouse Now", which topped the charts for 21 weeks in 1955, and "Slowly" (1954). His singles spent a total of 113 weeks at number one during the 1950s. He continued to chart until 1982, amassing 96 hits. He was known for his flamboyant lifestyle, including silver dollar-lined convertibles and a guitar-shaped swimming pool. Despite his later years being marked by a decline in musical prominence, he remained active in business ventures. He passed away from pancreatic cancer on 24 February 1991. Posthumously, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and honoured with a tribute album Caught in the Webb – A Tribute to Country Legend Webb Pierce produced by Gail Davies in 2001.
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