On this day (June 2) in 1927, Carl Butler was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up on the music of Roy Acuff and various old-time artists from the Appalachian region. Butler started performing locally in his teens. However, it wasn’t until after he’d completed his service in World War II that his career went to the next level. Later, he and his wife, Pearl Jones, formed a duo that charted numerous singles, including their multi-week No. 1 debut single “Don’t Let Me Cross Over.”
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By the time he was 18 years old, Butler landed his own radio show on the Knoxville-based WBIR. He sang and played old-time music in the style of Roy Acuff and Jimmie Rodgers. However, just as his career started to take off, he was called up to serve in World War II…