Conway Twitty: He Had Them at Hello Darlin’

In life, Conway Twitty was known as the best friend a song ever had.
But Twitty’s songs silenced when he died suddenly at age 59 in 1993.
Now with “Conway Twitty the Musical,” the songs of the man born Harold Jenkins live again. An abridged version of the show will open for the legendary George Jones on Feb. 7 at Viking Hall in Bristol, Tenn.
Directed by Randy Johnson and starring Glenn Templeton as Twitty, the show was conceived by the late singer’s children.
Lawsuits regarding control of Twitty’s music cleared up last year, said Joni Twitty, the singer’s daughter, and thereby opened a way for the play to begin. It debuted in Nashville, Tenn., in October.
“It’s real charming, powerful and moving,” said Joni Twitty, by phone Monday from her home in Nashville. “We showcase his music and the way his career happened.”
Twitty enjoyed an astounding career. After he plucked his name from Conway, Ark., and Twitty, Texas, the Mississippi-born singer turned to rock and roll. He switched to country music in the mid-1960s.
Then from 1966 through 1991, Twitty charted 88 Billboard magazine Top 40 country songs. Of those, 75 reached the Top 10, and 40 climbed to number one. Longtime fans will recall such hits as 1975’s “Linda on My Mind” and his signature song, 1970’s “Hello Darlin.’ ”
“Daddy had a remarkable career,” said Joni Twitty, who enjoyed a Top 5 duet with her father on 1973’s “Don’t Cry Joni.” “But he was also such a good human being. He wanted to touch people’s souls. His fans all said he was singing those songs to them.”
As chronicled in the play, Conway Twitty would simply walk on stage. No lasers or fireworks, just fans out of their seats screaming his name. Nary a hair out of place, microphone in hand and with two sumptuous words – “Hello Darlin’ ” – he had them.
“They’d be right in the palm of his hands,” Joni Twitty said.
Men liked Twitty, but like Tim McGraw of today, Twitty was a sex symbol for women. However, to his kids, he was simply daddy.
“He was like two different people. I was in awe when he was on stage,” Joni Twitty said. “But the minute he stepped off stage, he was daddy.”
Twitty said that the play shows snippets of her father as she knew him. Still, the show will be dominated by strings of her father’s biggest hits in the play.
“We tried to pick a variety – “Hello Darlin,’ ” “It’s Only Make Believe” – obviously his big hits,” she said. “Plus, our Conway and Loretta is fantastic.”
That’s Loretta as in Loretta Lynn, Twitty’s musical soul mate. They scored a string of duets, including 1973’s chart-topper “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man.”
“We were like sister and brother,” Lynn said of Twitty during an interview from 2005. “I loved him just like he was my brother.”
For Lynn, the Twitty family and his legion of fans, life changed on June 5, 1993, the day Twitty died. He had collapsed on his bus shortly after performing a concert while in pain. He died shortly thereafter as the result of a ruptured stomach aneurism.
“It tore me all to pieces when he died all of a sudden,” Lynn said.
Twitty died, but thanks to his vast catalog and the play, his music lives. Fans, his daughter said, just wait until you see the show.
“They still mourn him. Daddy had a lifelong love affair with his fans,” Joni Twitty said. “Their chins will hit the ground because they will feel like they are seeing Conway Twitty again.”

IF YOU GO
Who: George Jones and “Conway Twitty the Musical”
When: Feb. 7, 8 p.m.
Where: Viking Hall, 1100 Edgemont Ave., Bristol, Tenn.
Admission: $35
Info: (423) 764-0188
Web: http://www.conwaytwittymusical.com
And: http://www.georgejones.com
Audio: http://www.music.yahoo.com/ar-253669—-george-jones
Also: http://www.conway.musiccitynetworks.com

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at .