Leon Everette

Born on June 21, 1948, in Aiken, South Carolina, Leon Everette enlisted in the Navy after completing high school. While on leave in the Philippines he acquired a guitar and mastered its fundamentals. Success in Navy talent contests prompted him to cut a string of singles after his discharge and return to South Carolina, yet the releases failed to register. He later took a mailroom position at True Records in Nashville and soon signed with the label. In 1977 True directed him to record the Elvis tribute Goodbye King of Rock and Roll, a project that left him so displeased he destroyed his contract. The company nevertheless issued his single “I Love That Woman (Like the Devil Loves Sin),” which became a minor hit. Toward the close of the decade Everette moved to the Orlando imprint, which released Over in 1980. Strong showings by the album’s singles attracted RCA, which signed him in 1981. Between 1981 and 1984 he recorded five albums for the label and notched several major hits, among them the reissued “Giving Up Easy.” Further Top 20 singles arrived in 1982 with “Just Give Me What You Think is Fair” and “Soul Searching.” Discontent with RCA’s promotional support prompted a switch to Mercury Records, where three minor hits appeared in 1985, including “Till a Tear Becomes a Rose.” By year’s end he had rejoined the revived Orlando imprint and scored three charting singles in 1986, among them “Still in the Picture.” In 1988 Everette exited country music to open an imported wicker shop with his wife in Ward, South Carolina.