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Around early 1956 or so, they were calling Harvie June Van,
a native of Monterey, Tennessee, one of the
top three female singers in country music.
And she was only 15 at the time.
She got her start singing when she was all of three years old, on
radio station WHUB in Cookeville, Tennessee. Her family moved on up
to Dayton, Ohio. They had a songwriter friend by the name of Mrs. Louise
Webb, of Nashville, who introduced them to King Records artist director,
Louis Innis, who then signed her to a recording contract.
They say her first release was a hit in the southern USA and in Canada, too.
The Quality record label issued the tunes which were "Can Can Skirt" and "My
Sin of Yesterday". That was about June 1954. She had three more releases
after that (up to mid 1956): "The Lights Are Grouing Dim" with "I'm Just
Not That Kind". Thn there was "Mama Don't Chase My Love Away" with "Don't Offer
Me The Stars". Finally, there was "False or True" and on the flip side "I Found You".
In early 1956, she made her first television appearance on an unnamed popular
Nashville tv show. By that time, her manager was Bob Ferguson who was
planning other appearances for the young talented singer.
Credits & Sources
- Country Song Roundup No. 43; April 1956; American Folk Publications, Inc.;
Derby, CT.
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