Roy Acuff was born in Maynardville, Tennessee, to Ida Carr and Simon E. Neil Acuff (a Baptist preacher, judge and tenant farmer), the third of their five children. Originally, Acuff didn't plan to be a singer. Acuff sang in the church choir as a schoolboy, but he was more interested in sports, particularly baseball. Not only was he attracted to the sport, he had a wild streak — after his family moved to Knoxville, he was frequently arrested for fighting. Acuff continued to concentrate on playing ball, eventually becoming strong enough to earn a tryout for the major leagues. However, that tryout never took place. Before he had a chance to play, he was struck by a severe sunstroke while he was on a fishing trip; after the sunstroke, Acuff suffered a nervous breakdown. While he was recovering, he decided that a career in baseball was no longer possible, so he decided to become an entertainer. He began to learn the fiddle and became an apprentice of Doc Hauer, a local medicine show man.
While traveling with the medicine show, Acuff learned how to be a performer -- he learned how to sing, how to imitate, how to entertain, how to put on a show. Soon, Acuff joined the Tennessee Crackerjacks, who had a regular slot on Knoxville radio station WROL. Although he was performing frequently, he wasn't making any significant headway, failing to become a star in Tennessee. One song changed that situation -- "The Great Speckled Bird," an old gospel tune that had become popular with the Church of God sect. After another radio entertainer wrote the words out to the song, Acuff began performing it in his shows. Quickly, he became popular throughout the eastern part of Tennessee and was asked to record the song by ARC, a record label with national distribution. Acuff headed north to Chicago for a recording session, which resulted in 20 different songs. In addition to "The Great Speckled Bird," he recorded "Steamboat Whistle Blues" and "The Wabash Cannonball," another Tennessee standard that featured the singer imitating the sound of a train whistle; he also made a handful of risqué numbers during these sessions, which were released under the name the Bang Boys.
Music career
He then turned his attention to his father's fiddle and began playing in a traveling medicine show, often performing in blackface. He toured the Southern United States and eventually formed a band called "The Crazy Tennesseans".
In 1936, he recorded his two most enduring songs, the traditional The Great Speckled Bird and The Wabash Cannonball. He debuted at the Grand Ole Opry two years later. He was booked as a fiddler, and he should have played the Turkey Buzzard for a square dancing segment, but he decided to try and sing The Great Speckled Bird. His decision was not well received, however. Acuff became a regular on the Opry, forming a backing band called the Smoky Mountain Boys, led by friend and Dobro player Bashful Brother Oswald. By 1940 he was the star of the show.
The Great Roy Acuff LP (1964)Acuff's recording of The House of the Rising Sun on November 3, 1938 is the first known commercial recording of the song. He released several singles in the 1940s such as The Wreck on the Highway, Beneath That Lonely Mound of Clay and The Precious Jewel. During the 1940s he also appeared in eight movies.
In 1942, a man of many talents, he formed a music publishing venture with Chicago songwriter Fred Rose. Acuff-Rose Music became a country music phenomenon, owning huge numbers of copyrights including those by Marty Robbins, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and all of the songs of Hank Williams.
As his record sales declined in the late 1940s and 1950s, Acuff spent most of his time on the road, becoming one of the hottest tickets in country music. In 1962 he was the first living musician elected to The Country Music Hall of Fame. By the 1970s Acuff performed almost exclusively with the Grand Ole Opry, at Opryland USA, greatly legitimizing it as the top institution in country music. He made one rare appearance at Carlton Haney's Camp Spring Bluegrass Festival in 1971.
For his contribution to the recording industry, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located on 1541 Vine St. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1991.
Political career
Acuff had a brief affair with politics, losing campaigns for the governor of Tennessee as a Republican in 1944 and 1948. In 1970, he campaigned for his friend Tex Ritter in his bid for the GOP nomination for a U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee.
Trivia
A popular legend is that Japanese troops during World War II would enter battle yelling, "To hell with Roosevelt! To hell with Babe Ruth! To hell with Roy Acuff!"
Acuff was initiated as an Entered Apprentice at the East Nashville Freemasonry Lodge in 1943, and raised to Master Mason in 1944. He was made a 33rd Degree Mason on 21 October 1985.
Acuff is thought to be one inspiration for Henry Gibson's character Haven Hamilton in Robert Altman's film Nashville. The fictionalized character was reportedly a composite of several well-known musicians, including Acuff and Hank Snow.
Acuff on recording: "A little secret of my policy in the studio ... whenever you once decide that you are going to record a number, put everything you've got into it. Don't say, 'Oh, we'll take it over and do it again' because every time you go through it you lose just a little something ... [l]et's do it the first time and to hell with the rest of them" - on the classic album Will the Circle Be Unbroken.
U.S. Olympian high jumper Amy Acuff is his distant cousin. Some sources erroneously list her as his daughter.
You Win Again
Roy Acuff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you've been seen a running round
I know that I should leave
But then I just can't go you win again
This heart of mine could never see
What everybody knew but me
Just trusting you was my great sin
I'm sorry for your victim now
'Cause soon his head like mine will bow
He'll give his heart but all in vain
And someday soon you win again
You have no heart, you have no shame
You take true love and give the blame
I guess that I should not complain
I love you still you won again
In Roy Acuff's song "You Win Again," the lyrics tell a story of a broken hearted narrator who publicly hears that their lover has been unfaithful. The singer knows they should leave the relationship, but they find themselves unable to walk away. The singer admits that they were oblivious to their lover's unfaithfulness, and even though trusting them was their "great sin," they still find themselves unable to leave. The singer struggles with their unrequited love and knows that another person will soon be in their position. The song concludes by saying that the singer still loves their unfaithful partner, and they have won again.
The song reflects the theme of heartbreak and the inability to break free from a toxic relationship. The lyrics also speak to the theme of betrayal and deception, and the pain of being left behind. The song is sung with a sadness and poignancy that portrays the emotions of a heartbroken person who is struggling to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
The news is out all over town
Everyone knows that you've been cheating on me
That you've been seen a running round
Rumors are spreading that you've been seen with other people
I know that I should leave
I realize that I should break up with you
But then I just can't go you win again
Despite knowing I should leave, I can't resist your charm and manipulation
This heart of mine could never see
I was blind to the truth about you
What everybody knew but me
Everyone else was aware of your unfaithfulness and deceit except for me
Just trusting you was my great sin
My mistake was putting my faith in you
What can I do you win again
I am helpless to your hold over me and your ability to manipulate me into staying
I'm sorry for your victim now
I pity the person you are currently deceiving
'Cause soon his head like mine will bow
Just like me, he will eventually discover the truth and suffer the consequences
He'll give his heart but all in vain
He will fall in love with you but it will be hopeless as he will be deceived and hurt
And someday soon you win again
In the future, you will repeat this pattern of manipulation and deceit with someone else
You have no heart, you have no shame
You lack empathy and feel no guilt for your actions
You take true love and give the blame
You manipulate and deceive those who truly love you, causing them to feel responsible for your mistakes
I guess that I should not complain
I shouldn't be surprised by your behavior considering our past experiences
I love you still you won again
Despite knowing your true nature, I am still in love with you and you have won control over me again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sideshowtink
One of my all time fave Hank's!!! Thank you!
@althazarr
@sideshowtink Thank you Tink! Apparently someone else didn't like it at all. Oh well...