Jenks "Tex" Carman

Jenks "Tex" Carman was so named despite hailing from Kentucky, an anomoly which sums up one of the more bizarre characters in the annals of country music. With boundless endearing enthusiasm, the entertainer sang and strummed energetically, if not skillfully, on a Hawaiian guitar. While the affable Carman may have caused some purists (and a few of his producers) to blanche, dubbed the "Dixie Cowboy," he built up quite a fan following in the 1940s & '50s with a raucous live show and a host of radio appearances. His recorded his final record in 1962 before hanging up his spurs on the most unlikely of 40-year careers.