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Claude King (born February 5, 1923 in Keithville,
Louisiana near the city of Shreveport,
Louisiana|Shreveport) is an United States|American
country music singer and songwriter.


At a young age, he was interested in music but his
primary interest was athletics.  He purchased a
guitar at the age of 12 and although he learned to
play it, most of his time was devoted to sports. 
This eventually resulted in being offered a
baseball scholarship to the University of Idaho at
Moscow, Idaho|Moscow.

King later returned to Shreveport and joined the
Louisiana Hayride radio show and recorded a few
songs for Gotham Records, although none were
successful.  In 1961, he became more serious about
a musical career and signed with the Nashville,
Tennessee division of Columbia Records. He hit
immediately, cutting "Big River, Big Man", a
country Top 10 and even a small pop crossover
success.  He soon followed with The Commancheros
inspired by the John Wayne movie of the same name.
It was a Top 10 country hit in late 1961, also
crossing over to the pop charts.

Claude King made his "career" recording in the
spring of 1962.  "Wolverton Mountain", written
with Nashville veteran Merle Kilgore, was based on
a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on
Wolverton Mountain in Arkansas.  The song became
an immediate hit, going to No.1 for nine weeks
during its 26-week run on the Billboard Country
charts.  It was also a pop Top 10.  

King followed up that year with a American Civil
War song, "The Burning Of Atlanta" which also went
Top 10 on the country charts and again generated a
lot of interest on the pop lists.  In late 1962,
he recorded "I've Got The World By The Tail" which
narrowly missed the country Top 10.

He had another good year in 1963, scoring three
solid country hits with "Sheepskin Valley",
"Building a Bridge" and "Hey Lucille!".  The hits
continued in 1964 with "Sam Hill" and in 1965 he
was back in the Top 10 with "Tiger Woman",
co-written by Merle Kilgore.  King also did well
that year with "Little Buddy".

His smooth country style continued to find a
flavor throughout the decade, especially songs
like "Catch a Little Raindrop" and the Top 10 "All
For The Love Of A Girl" in 1969.  His singles
continued to hit the country charts through 1972. 
He left the label in 1973 after having
accomplished 29 hits.

Besides a successful career recording and touring,
King also did some acting.  He appeared in the
1982 miniseries|television miniseries The Blue and
the Gray and appeared in some feature films.

In 1981, Governor of Arkansas|Governor Frank D.
White paid tribute to Claude King and his big 1962
hit by declaring August 7 "Wolverton Mountain
Day". By that time, King had almost retired from
recording.