Cowboy Copas

Ohio-born fiddler and singer Lloyd Estel Copas attained country stardom with his very first single, 1946's "Filipino Baby." As the singer for Pee Wee King's Golden West Cowboys, Copas was the first singer to record King's most famous song, "Tennessee Waltz," scoring a hit in 1947. Cowboy Copas remained a popular member of the Grand Ole Opry through the 1950s and into the '60s, with hits like "Candy Kisses" and "Alabam," but on March 5, 1963, his private plane crashed on route from Kansas City to Nashville, killing Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and country legend Patsy Cline.