Terry Fell born 13 May 1921

Terry Fell (May 13, 1921 – April 4, 2007) was an American country musician. 

Unless you’re a truly devoted fan of early post-World War II country music, you’ve probably never heard of Terry Fell. His recordings are not anthologized alongside those of Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, or any of his other contemporaries; no one on CMT cites him as an influence today. Fell is lucky to even have his name mentioned in the various encyclopedias and comprehensive histories of country music. He appeared on the Billboard country charts just once, for a now forgotten single titled “Don’t Drop It.” But the B-side of that record was “Truck Drivin’ Man,” which may have had a greater impact on country music as a genre than any other song. 

Fell was born in Dora, Alabama on May 13, 1921, and got his first guitar at the age of nine. Later, he learned mandolin and took singing lessons. When he was 13 years old, his father died; three years later, he moved alone to California, where he spent some time in a camp of the Civilian Conservation Corps. After he briefly lived in Alabama again, Fell and his mother moved to the US West Coast. In 1943, while working for Tru-Flex tyres, he began to play bass with Merle Lindsey's Nightriders. 

Around 1945, he joined Billy Hughes band Pals Of Pecos. His first record was with Hughes on the Fargo label. He began his solo career with Memo, then Courtney, 4 Star, and Gilt-Edge Records, although none of his releases became hits there. In 1954, after further recordings for Memo, Courtney and 4-Star, he joined RCA-Victor Records, making his first recordings on their subsidiary "X" label. "Truck Driving Man" appeared as the B-side of his first "X" single, in April 1954. The A-side, "Don't Drop It", became a # 4 country chart hit (his only one) and although "Truck Driving Man" failed to chart for Fell, it went on to become a country standard. It has since been charted by both George Hamilton IV and Red Steagall (as late as 1976!) and recorded by countless other artists, including Buck Owens, who was managed by Fell early in his career. 

                             

"Don't Drop It" also spawned its share of covers, both for the country and the pop markets, including versions by Wilbert Harrison (Savoy) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Sun). In 1955, Fell made a guest appearance on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee. He remained with RCA for the following two years; however, he never produced a single with the same success. RCA extended his contract in 1956. In 1958, he recorded some sides for Lode records. One of them, released under the name "Johnny Valentine," was a song he wrote called "Sandy" which became a No. 15 pop hit for Larry Hall in 1960. 

In 1959, he began military service in the U.S. Army and was stationed in West Germany. Along with Elvis Presley, who was at the same time a G.I. stationed in West Germany, he wrote the song "Mississippi River". The single was never released, but the rights were later sold for $30,000 in 1996. 

Due to the lack of success and and throat problems, his career fell short and he lost interest in performing  Later, for a short time, he managed country star Buck Owens and wrote a song in 1961 with Bobby Edwards titled "You're The Reason". After 1962, Fell did not tour much but did make a record now and then. He worked for American Music as their Nashville representative for a time, had his own publishing company, and worked for Mary Reeves, Jim's widow. 

He continued to write songs. Under the pseudonym "Brother George Underbrush" he did some songs for Lode, probably all humorous such as the one titled "All Penguins Aren't Catholic." His biggest songwriting success was a number in which he frankly admits he never wrote a word. Singer Bobby Edwards gave him one-fourth credit on a pop number "You're the Reason" on which Terry arranged and engineered. Terry Fell's own final record was a single on Scorpion in 1976, "Big Truck Stop in the Sky"/"Coffee Jim Trucker." By 1993 when Bear Family re-issued his X and RCA numbers on a compact disc, he lived in modest retirement, a circumstance that continued for another decade and more until his death on April 4, 2007, in Madison, Tennessee.. 

Because of his achievements in country music, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. 

 (Edited from Wikipedia, This Is My Story & Hilly Billy Music.com)