About Del Reeves
Franklin Delano Reeves (July 14, 1932 – January 1, 2007) was an American country music singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty songs of the 1960s including "Girl on the Billboard" and "The Belles of Southern Bell". He is also known for his 1968 trucker's anthem, "Looking at the World Through a Windshield", which demonstrated he was capable of more than just novelty songs. He became one of the most successful male country singers of the 1960s, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1966 and remaining a regular performer for 40 years, until his death. == Early life == Reeves was born in Sparta, North Carolina, in July, 1932, the youngest of 11 children. He was named after U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. While his older brothers served in World War II, Reeves learned how to play their musical instruments. By age 12, Reeves began performing on the Merry Go Round Show on local radio station WPAQ. After high school, Reeves briefly attended Appalachian State Teachers College. He later enlisted in the United States Air Force, stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. == Music career == === 1950s === After completing his military service, Reeves began performing regularly on Chester Smith's radio show on Modesto station KTRB around 1955. Reeves made his first rockabilly recordings with Capitol Records from 1957 to 1958.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.