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Tommy Downs


About The Artist

A native of the Bluegrass state, Tommy Downs was from Loretta, Kentucky. His career took him west for a while. He appeared in Billings, Montana with Jack Wyse and his "Westernaires" and also with Kenny Hennon at the "17 Bar".

Around the mid-1950's, he appeared as a guest on Pee Wee King's TV show that aired over WBBM-TV in Chicago, Illinois. Through April 1956, Tommy had been at WKLO in Louisville for 16 months. He did two daily shows. One was called "Tommy Downs Sings" and the other was called "Star of the Day", where he featured the most popular hillbilly artist of the day and their recordings.

On Saturdays, Tommy did his show as a remote broadcast from the "Dizzy Whizz" Drive-In Restaurant No. 2 in Louisville. The station promoted him as the "fastest-rising baritone in the field of Hill & Country music."

Tommy had a record that was in the top 10 for 16 consecutive weeks, called "Love Insurance". He was scheduled to release then a recording of "Why I Cry" with a flip side of "Fool's Romance" on the Tiffany label.

Credits & Sources

  • Country Song Roundup No. 43; April 1956; American Folk Publications, Inc.; Derby, CT.

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