He released eight singles in his recording career, but is best-remembered for his demo of the song "Heartbreak Hotel" which later became Elvis Presley's first number one hit.
Reeves was raised in Shamrock, Texas; while in high school he formed his first band which played Western swing music.
A frequent collaborator with him was Mae Boren Axton, a high school teacher with a background in musical promotion who co-wrote all four of Reeves' TNT sides.
Both "Rockin' Country Style" and an earlier single distributed by Republic Records were produced by Murray Nash in Nashville.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Reeves became the executive producer of Jamboree USA, a long-running barn dance show, while promoting several successful country music festivals.