SYD KRONISH | Stamps Postal Service honors musician Roy Acuff

Roy Acuff, acknowledged as the "King of Country Music" and as the man who made Nashville, Tenn., the country music capital of America, now receives further acclaim. He's being honored on a new U.S. postage stamp for release Sept. 13.
Besides being the first "superstar" performer in country music, Acuff also made the Nashville-based Grand Ole Opry the country institution of record. In addition, Acuff's style, both as a musician and as a performer, influenced countless future artists, laying the groundwork for the prototypical country star, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
Roy Acuff was born in Maynardsville, Tenn., in 1903 and grew up singing in the church choir and playing his favorite sport, baseball. Though he intended and hoped to become a professional baseball player, he ended up learning to play the fiddle instead. He fiddled his way onto a local radio show playing the traditional song "The Great Speckled Bird." This earned him great regional attention.
In 1938 he joined the Grand Ole Opry, forming a backing band called the "Smoky Mountain Boys." The rest is music and American history.
Magazine photo
The new stamp features a black and white photo by John E. Hood that appeared in the March 15, 1949, issue of Collier's magazine. The photo shows Acuff in a playful moment, holding his fiddle under his arm rather than his chin. The 37-cent stamp will be released at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Sept. 13. It will be available at post offices across the country starting Sept. 15.
On the back of each stamp will be the following text: "Roy Acuff (1903-1992) was one of country music's first superstars. He helped turn the Grand Ole Opry into the nation's foremost country music institution and was instrumental in making Nashville the country music capital of America."
Together with his friend Fred Rose, a professional songwriter, Acuff founded Acuff-Rose Music Publications in 1942. Acuff's songs were an immediate success and ruled the country music charts. Over the next two decades many of the most popular performers were the property of the company, including Hank Williams, Don Gibson, Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers.
Hall of fame induction
In 1962, Acuff became the first living performer to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The great Acuff passed away in November 1992, leaving behind a legacy not limited to his music alone. He had an enormous effect on shaping the role of country music and its performers in the 20th century -- and every performer to this day.
First-day covers of the new Acuff stamp can be obtained by calling (800) STAMP-24.