Vern Gosdin dies at 74

Tammy Wynette once said of Gosdin, who was known as The Voice, that he was "the only other singer who can hold a candle to George Jones."

Gosdin had number 1 hits with I Can Tell By the Way You Dance (You're Gonna Love Me Tonight) in 1983, Set 'Em Up Joe in 1988 and I'm Still Crazy in 1989.

Gosdin was born on Aug 5, 1934 in Woodland, Ala. He learned how to play mandolin while growing up. In the early 1950s, he was part of the Gosdin Family radio show from Birmingham, Ala. By 1960, he moved to California and formed the Golden State Boys with brother Rex. The group was named the Hillmen after mandolinist Chris Hillman, who was in the band and later co-founded the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band. The brothers later recorded together as The Gosdin Brothers, having a top 40 song, Hangin' On in 1967. They also played on the first solo album with Gene Clark in 1967 after he left The Byrds, "Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers."

The Gosdin brothers quit by 1972 and worked day jobs in Atlanta.

Vern Gosdin gave it another shot and convinced friend Emmylou Harris to head to Nashville for a demo session. Gosdin soon signed with Elektra. He first charted in his solo career in 1976 with Hangin' On, which would go on to be the first of 41 songs to hit the Billboard charts. Gosdin enjoyed a hit, Till the End, with then unknown Janie Frickie. He shifted labels, going to Ovation, AMI and Compleat. After Compleat went bankrupt, Gosdin signed with Columbia in 1987. He won the Country Music Association song of the year in 1989 for Chiseled in Stone, a co-write with frequent partner Max D. Barnes.