JERRY WALLACE

Jerry Wallace acquired the moniker "Mr. Smooth" owing to his rich, silky singing style and landed two major pop successes in the late 1950s before attaining even stronger sales as a country performer. Born in Guilford, MO, on December 15, 1928, he was the child of a grocery store proprietor. After a short period in Arizona he established himself in Hollywood, and once his U.S. Navy service ended he joined the Allied roster, issuing several singles that drew minimal notice such as "Little Miss One," "That's What a Woman Can Do," and "Runnin' After Love."

Moving to the Challenger imprint, Wallace secured a Top 20 pop placement in 1958 with "How the Time Flies" and followed it a year later with the million-selling "Primrose Lane." His pop momentum faded soon afterward, prompting him to concentrate temporarily on acting roles that included appearances in the 1964 films Flipper's New Adventure and Goodbye Charlie. Also in 1964 he registered modest chart entries with "Shutters and Boards" and "In the Misty Moonlight," recordings that marked his initial turn toward the country field. A subsequent contract with Mercury Records hastened that transition, though later releases such as "Life's Gone and Slipped Away" and "Sweet Child of Sunshine" received little airplay from Nashville stations.

Drawing on a Nat King Cole-inspired croon, Wallace aligned naturally with the prevailing country-pop sound, and after signing with Decca in 1970 he reached the Top 30 on the country chart with "After You." The 1972 crossover hit "To Get to You" earned a Country Music Association Single of the Year nomination, while "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry," prominently featured in an episode of the Rod Serling television series Night Gallery, ascended to the top of the country list. He also peaked at number two with "Do You Know What It's Like to Be Lonesome," and further successes including "Don't Give Up on Me," "My Wife's House," "I Wonder Whose Baby (You Are Now)," and "Comin' Home to You" maintained his presence on country radio throughout the mid-1970s. Extended legal disputes with his management interrupted his commercial progress, leading him to move restlessly between labels in an unsuccessful bid to revive his career. The 1980 release "If I Could Set My Love to Music" became his last chart appearance, and apart from occasional live performances he remained largely out of public view for the rest of his life. Wallace died of congestive heart failure in Corona, CA, on May 5, 2008.