Pop singer whose #1 charting single "Blue Velvet" in 1963 was made famous by the film of the same name by David Lynch.
He was given a quarter after practicing his clarinet by his parents. He was a member of the U.S. Army and signed to Epic Records after being discharged.
His first hit single was "Roses Are Red (My Love)."
He married Dolly Dobbins on December 17, 1962 and they had five children together.
He once worked with John Wayne on the movies Big Jake and The Train Robbers.
