Faron Young

Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country singer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. His hits including "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" marked him as a honky-tonk singer in sound and personal style; and his chart-topping singles "Hello Walls" and "It's Four in the Morning" showed his versatility as a vocalist.

Known as the "Hillbilly Heartthrob", and following a singing cowboy film role as the "Young Sheriff", Young's singles charted for more than 30 years.

In failing health, he died by suicide at the age of 64 in 1996. Young is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Young was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the youngest of six children of Harlan and Doris Young. He grew up on a dairy farm his family operated outside the city.

Young began singing at an early age, imagining a career as a pop singer, but after he joined some friends watching Hank Williams perform with nine encores on the Louisiana Hayride, Young switched to country music, instead. He performed at the local Optimist Club and was discovered by Webb Pierce, who brought him to star on the Louisiana Hayride in 1951, then broadcast on KWKH-AM.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.