Biography
Born on 18 April 1920 at a farm near Burnsville, Mississippi, the musician died on 11 March 1995 in Madison, Tennessee. Self-taught on guitar during childhood, he moved to Memphis in 1939 and found work at the stations WMPS, WHBQ and finally WMC. Bluebird Records captured his performances in 1940, among them the yodeling track “Home Sweet Home In The Rockies”—his only such number despite clear skill in the style—and the popular “Little Blue-Eyed Blonde Goodbye,” which he co-wrote. He later settled in Atlanta for further sessions before shifting to Nashville. There he married Naomi Coulter, who toured with him and added vocals to selected recordings until the birth of their second child; the couple ultimately raised eight children. An audition for the Grand Ole Opry brought rejection from George D. Hay, who judged the singer’s approach too contemporary. Steady broadcasts on WSIX raised his profile enough for Jack Stapp to book him onto the Opry, where Pyle became one of the first solo country singer-guitarists to appear regularly. While continuing occasional solo work, he supplied lead guitar and vocals for Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys until military induction in 1941. Discharged in 1943, he succeeded Eddy Arnold as vocalist with Pee Wee King’s Golden West Cowboys, cutting transcription discs and joining numerous Opry dates. More than a year later he left to launch his own tent show starring the Mississippi Valley Boys. Petrol rationing curtailed travel, prompting a club residency in Chicago. Returning to the Opry, he led a band behind Grandpa Jones for a spell. An attempt to rejoin Monroe failed; Pyle attributed the loss of bluegrass feel to his time with King. He then assembled a group that included Birch Monroe and worked alongside Bill at special events such as the Bean Blossom festivals. Songwriting and appearances at the Opry and local venues continued until declining health slowed him in the 1970s. Becoming a born-again Christian, he began singing gospel music with youngest daughter Dwanna in churches and on television after Naomi’s death in 1976. Restored health allowed joint shows with Monroe and Ernest Tubb. Into the late 1980s he still visited the Grand Ole Opry, though few contemporaries remained. Among his many compositions were “Don’t Put Off Until Tomorrow” and “Highway Of Sorrow,” later recorded by Monroe, George Jones, Little Jimmy Dickens, Willie Nelson and Porter Wagoner. Precise totals are unknown, for he often sold songs at Tootsie’s Bar between Opry sets, sometimes for five or ten dollars. In 1987 the German Cattle label released an album of his Bluebird and Bullet masters; it contains the yodel number noted earlier and the duet “Think Twice” with Naomi.