Billy Wayne "Crash" Craddock (born June 16, 1939)[1] is an American country and rockabilly singer.
Billy Wayne Craddock was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States.
[3] At age 11, he entered a local television talent contest and was voted top winner for 15 consecutive weeks.
[4] Craddock received the nickname "Crash" while playing running back for the Rankin High School football team.
[1] After he left high school, he formed a rockabilly band with one of his brothers called The Four Rebels.
[1] He recorded "Am I to Be the One" and "I Want That", which were covered most notably by Jerry Lee Lewis and British rockers Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.
The first was in February with Duane Eddy, The Diamonds, Santo & Johnny and Floyd Robinson and the second was in May with Bobby Rydell, The Everly Brothers, Marv Johnson, and The Crickets.
1 in March 1961 with his cover/co-charted version of "One Last Kiss" also charting at the same time with the Bobby Vee version, becoming his fourth and final Top 10 entry in Australia after "I Want That" (HP-7, peaked in late February 1960) and "Well, Don't You Know" (HP-8, peaked in late May 1960) After his hits in Australia, he recorded one album and several singles during the 1960s.
[1] Craddock spent several years out of the music business while working in a cigarette factory and hanging drywall.
[9] The song also reached the top five of the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart that spring, beginning a streak of hits that continued throughout the 1970s.
In 1975, he released Still Thinkin' 'Bout You which went top ten as both a single and album on the country charts but failed to get any major pop action.
He moved to Capitol Records, in 1977 where he had his last two top 10 hits: "I Cheated on a Good Woman's Love" (1978) and "If I Could Write a Song as Beautiful as You" (1979).