The brothers were born in Hardy, Arkansas. They first attracted attention as child performers, beginning in 1937, in an act called The Wilburn Children;[1] Roy Acuff discovered them and brought them to the Grand Ole Opry in 1940.[2] Due to federal child labor laws, the Wilburns were forced to leave the Opry after six months.
After growing up, they continued to travel and were regulars on the similar Louisiana Hayride program in Shreveport from 1948[3] until 1951. After the family act disbanded, and the brothers served stints in the US Army during the Korean War, they continued in 1953 as The Wilburn Brothers touring with Faron Young and Webb Pierce.[4] They signed with Decca Records in May 1954[5] and had their first hit record the same year titled "Sparkling Brown Eyes." Other notable hits include "Go Away With Me" (1956), "Which One Is To Blame" (1959), "Trouble's Back In Town" (1962), "It's Another World" (1965), and "Hurt Her Once For Me" (1967).
In 1956, the Wilburns were offered the chance to record "Heartbreak Hotel" before Elvis Presley. After hearing the song they decided against recording it, describing it as "strange and almost morbid".
In addition to being successful artists, the Wilburns formed the Wil-helm Talent Agency (with Don Helms) in the early 1960s as well as the Surefire Music Publishing Company in 1963. They were instrumental in launching the careers of many country music legends, most notably Loretta Lynn, whom they signed to their music publishing company. Lynn was the "girl singer" of the Wilburns' touring show between 1960 and 1968[9] and she made weekly appearances on their syndicated television show from 1963 to 1971.[8] The brothers also discovered Patty Loveless in the early 1970s.
The Wilburn Brothers had a syndicated television program, The Wilburn Brothers Show, that ran from 1963 to 1974, with 354 half-hour episodes produced. Reruns can still be seen on the cable network RFD-TV and in the UK on Rural TV. They were Opry members from 1953 until the time of Doyle's death from cancer in 1982 (at age 52). Teddy continued with the Opry as a solo artist until his death in 2003, six days before his 72nd birthday.
They are both buried in the Nashville National Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.
Near You
The Wilburn Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Times when we're apart I can't face my heart
Say you'll never stray more than just two lips away
If my hours could be spent near you I'd be more than content near you
Make my life worthwhile by telling me that I'll spend the rest of my days near you
There's just one place for me...
Spend the rest of my days near you
The Wilburn Brothers's song Near You is a beautiful love song that conveys the intense feeling of being close to someone you love. The singer expresses how being near to his beloved is like heaven to him and how he can't face his heart when they are apart. He pleads with his partner to never be too far from him, assuring them that if they stay just two lips away, he will always be content. The singer acknowledges that being near his partner makes his life worthwhile and asks them to promise that he will spend the rest of his days near them.
Line by Line Meaning
There's just one place for me near you
Being close to you is the only place that feels right to me
it's like heaven to be near you
Being near you feels like being in paradise
Times when we're apart I can't face my heart
When we're not together, I feel lost and empty inside
Say you'll never stray more than just two lips away
Promise me you won't be more than just a kiss away from me
If my hours could be spent near you
If I could spend all my time with you
I'd be more than content near you
Being close to you would make me more than happy
Make my life worthwhile by telling me that I'll spend the rest of my days near you
Promise me that we'll spend the rest of our lives together, and that will give my life meaning
There's just one place for me...
Being close to you is the only place that feels right to me
Spend the rest of my days near you
I want to spend the rest of my life with you
Contributed by Claire R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.