He was considered by many to be the world's foremost steel guitarist.
He was in demand as a studio musician, performing on recordings by Gram Parsons, John Sebastian, George Strait, Mel Tillis, June Carter Cash, and Ricky Skaggs, among others.
Inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981.
At the age of 11 years old, his father bought him a six-string lap steel and signed him up for lessons. This was when he fell in love of the instrument.
He joined his first bands as a teenager, eventually moving to Nashville in 1955 to join Grand Ole Opry star Little Jimmy Dickens' band when he was 18. Later, he played with the bands of Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, and Roger Miller.