Smiley Burnette
Country Singer
Country music singer and actor whose career spanned four decades. He was known for appearing on television alongside Gene Autry.
He started singing at a young age and worked at the Illinois radio station WDZ-AM in 1929.
He opened a restaurant drive-in chain called The Checkered Shirt in the 1950s.
He was born into a Midwestern family that owned their own restaurant chain for a number of years.
Leon Russell recorded some of his songs.