It was October 1968 when a young man from Friars Point, Mississippi, officially cemented his place in country music history. Conway Twitty, whose smooth baritone would one day define an era, earned his first #1 country hit with “Next In Line” — a dark, aching ballad about heartbreak and hope that announced his arrival as more than just a former rock ’n’ roller.
But before he became a household name — before the suits, the fame, and the timeless love songs — he was just Harold Lloyd Jenkins, a kid with big dreams, a bigger voice, and no idea what to call himself.
The story of how he became Conway Twitty has been told in countless interviews, but hearing it from him was always something special. As he once recalled with a smile:
“I knew Harold Lloyd Jenkins wasn’t gonna fit on a marquee. I needed something people would remember — something that sounded right coming out of a radio.”
One night, flipping through an atlas, he found two towns that caught his eye — Conway, Arkansas, and Twitty, Texas. He said he laughed out loud when he said them together: “Conway Twitty — now that’s a name with rhythm!”
And just like that, the legend was born.
By the time “Next In Line” hit the charts, Twitty had already walked away from a successful rock ’n’ roll career. His early hits like “It’s Only Make Believe” had made him a teen idol, but he never felt at home in that world. Country music, with its honesty and soul, was where his heart belonged.
The transition wasn’t easy — critics doubted him, radio stations hesitated — but “Next In Line” proved everyone wrong. The song’s haunting melody and heartfelt delivery showcased a side of Twitty few had heard before: vulnerable, authentic, and unmistakably country. It was the beginning of a second act that would produce 55 #1 hits, countless awards, and one of the most enduring legacies in American music.
Reflecting on those early days, Conway once said,
“I never set out to be famous. I just wanted to sing songs that felt true. And somehow, that’s what worked.”
Decades later, “Next In Line” still stands as a turning point — the song that transformed Harold Jenkins into Conway Twitty, and the moment when country music gained one of its most soulful storytellers.
So the next time you hear that familiar voice glide through a verse — smooth as velvet, heavy with truth — remember that somewhere between Conway, Arkansas, and Twitty, Texas, a name was born that the world would never forget.