Conway Twitty is a country music legend, having an incredible career that spanned over 30 years and included a staggering 55 #1 singles. (And he’s also well known for having some of the horniest songs in country music).
But did you know that Conway Twitty wasn’t actually his real name?
The man who would eventually become Conway Twitty was actually born Harold Lloyd Jenkins.
He started his career under his given name, working with Sam Phillips at the legendary Sun Records studios in Memphis – the same studio that launched the careers of names like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash – recording rock-and-roll and rockabilly music.
But Jenkins decided that his real name didn’t stand out enough to radio DJs who had never heard of him.
He discussed the idea to change his name, and the inspiration for his new moniker, during a 1989 appearance on Late Night with David Letterman:
“I got that name back in 1957…
Disc jockeys back in the ’50s got so many records. Every week they’d get 50, 60 new records. And they had to decide what they were going to play and what they weren’t going to play.
So I thought well, maybe with an interesting name like Elvis Presley or something like that, they might play it. And once they do you’re on your own”
But where did the name “Conway Twitty” actually come from? Well, from a map:
“I started thinking about all kinds of names. Finally in desperation I just got the map down and looked around the Memphis area where I’m from down there.
And I came across Conway, Arkansas. Then I came across Twitty, Texas and put ’em together. And that’s the way it’s been for the last 33 years.”
Who would have thought that one of the most famous names in country music would be made up by just picking two random cities off of a map?
Conway Twitty Was The King Of Horny Country Music
Country music has never shied away from the topic of sex.
If you look back at our list of some of the most controversial country songs of all time, you’ll see quite a few that caused a stir for being a little too up-front about love making.
But nobody, and I mean NOBODY, had more horny country songs than Conway Twitty.
Let’s take a look at the evidence…
1. “You’ve Never Been This Far Before
This song that was actually banned from some radio stations for its overly-sexual content.
I don’t know what I’m saying
As my trembling fingers touch forbidden places
I only know that I’ve waited
For so long for the chance that we are taking
Definitely doesn’t leave much to the imagination…
2. “Slow Hand”
A cover of a Pointer Sisters song that Conway released in 1982.
You want a man with a slow hand
You want a lover with an easy touch
You want somebody who will spend some time
Not come and go in a heated rush
Yeah Conway, we know what you’re doing with your hands.
3. “I See The Want To In Your Eyes”
First recorded by Gary Stewart, this song is about a married woman trying to decide whether to sleep with another man.
How many women just like you have silent schemes
How many men like me do they sleep with in their dreams
You can stay or you can go and although I sympathize
I still see the want to in your eyes
4. “I Want To Know You Before We Make Love”
A cover of a song by Alabama that at least proves that Conway is a gentleman lover.
It takes time for real love to be found
I feel the invitation of your body
And I’d like to look inside your soul before I lay you down
5. “Red Neckin’ Love Makin’ Night”
The bro-country-before-bro-country-was-a-thing anthem about picking up a girl in your pickup truck and kissing her under the moonlight.
Well, maybe more than kissing…
It’s a red-neckin’, love-makin’ night
You ain’t had much till you
Been touched in the moonlight
You feel it most when you get
Real close and you hold on tight
It’s a red-neckin’, love-makin’ night
6. “Tight Fittin’ Jeans”
This one just proves that country guys have always had a thing for girls in “painted on jeans.”
In my mind she’s still a lady, that’s all I’m gonna say
I knew that I’d been broken by the time we parted ways
And I know I held more woman than most eyes have ever seen
That night I knew a lady wearin’ tight fittin’ jeans
7. “I’d Love To Lay You Down”
Possibly Conway’s horniest song that just lays it all out there on the line. Gotta respect a guy who’s straightforward, right?
There’s a lot of ways of sayin’ what I want to say to you
There’s songs and poems and promises and dreams that might come true.
But I won’t talk of starry skies or moonlight on the ground
I’ll come right out and tell you, I’d just love to lay you down.
Conway Twitty was a legend, with a staggering FIFTY #1 songs and a career that spanned across multiple genres from 1955 until his death in 1993.
But damn, Conway got horny when he found his home in country music.
