Ferlin Eugene Husky (December 3, 1925 – March 17, 2011)[1] was an American country music singer who was equally adept at honky-tonk, ballads, spoken recitations, rockabilly and pop tunes.

After dropping out of high school, he moved to St. Louis, where he worked as a truck driver and steel mill worker while performing in honky tonks at night.

[2] During World War II, Husky served in the United States Merchant Marine for five years, entertaining troops on transport ships.

[2] After the war, Husky continued to develop his Simon Crum character while working as a disc jockey in Missouri and then in Bakersfield, California, into the late 1940s.

[4] He began using the stage name Terry Preston at the suggestion of Smiley Burnette who claimed Ferlin Husky would never work on a marquee.

(Husky had previously recorded the song in 1952 as Terry Preston, but the earlier version lacked the newly emerging Nashville sound production of Bradley Studios,[5] which included strings and backup singers).

[4] Husky was also known for his ability to imitate other popular country singers, including Tennessee Ernie Ford and Kitty Wells.

Husky suffered from cardiopathy for many years and was hospitalized several times beginning in the late 1970s, including for heart surgery in 2005 and for blood clots in his legs in 2007.

On January 16, 2011, he was honored at West St. Francois County High School in Leadwood, Missouri, where local singers and the high-school choir sang some of his hits.

Husky also donated several items of memorabilia, including his Country Music Hall of Fame award, to the city of Leadwood which are permanently stored at the high school.