Leon Ashley

Leon Ashley occupies a modest niche in country music annals as the first performer to handle every stage of a recording’s creation—writing, performing, releasing, distributing, and publishing—entirely on his own. The resulting single, “Laura (What’s He Got That I Ain’t Got),” went on to become a country standard throughout the 1960s and 1970s, embraced by interpreters ranging from Marty Robbins to Kenny Rogers. Although his songwriting ultimately proved more consequential than his own performances, Ashley sustained a modestly prosperous career as a country-pop vocalist across both decades.

He took to the stage early, appearing on a Covington, Georgia, radio outlet at age nine and hosting his own program by eleven. His first single, “He’ll Never Go,” appeared on Goldband in 1960 yet attracted little notice. The following year Imperial issued “Teen Age Angel” and “It’s Alright Baby,” which fared no better. Returning to Goldband in 1962, he cut “Not Going Home,” and Dot Records released “You Gave Me Reason to Live” in 1964.

In 1966 Ashley teamed with Margie Singleton on the duet “How Can We Divide These Little Hearts”; the pair married the next year and maintained their professional partnership throughout their marriage. Also in 1967 he established his own imprint, Ashley Records. The venture yielded greater commercial traction than any of his prior affiliations with larger labels. Its third release, “Laura (What’s He Got That I Ain’t Got),” climbed to the top of the country chart, followed later that year by two smaller successes: the Margie Singleton duet “Hangin’ On” and the solo entry “Anna, I’m Taking You Home.”

Ashley scored two additional hits in 1968—the Top 15 “Mental Journey” and the duet “You’ll Never Be Lonely Again”—while 1969 brought three more: “While Your Lover Sleeps,” “Back to Birmingham,” and “Ain’t Gonna Worry.” Chart activity then ceased until the minor 1972 single “Ease Up.” For the balance of the decade he toured with Margie Singleton, their manager Linda G. Denny, and the Country Music Spectacular. Throughout this period other artists continued to record songs bearing Leon Ashley’s name, many of them collaborations with his wife.