Besides his slew of movie appearances, he is remembered for his Hank Williams tribute song "Heaven Bound Train".
Was a DJ at Tampa's WHBO in the late 1960s and early 1970s during the station's country music period. He worked there with his son Gary, who was also a DJ.
In the early 1960s he left the Republic Rangers singing group to become a radio performer in Springfield, IL.
At one time he owned his own record label which distributed not only his songs but those of others.