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Twitty's Last No. 1: A Song Born from Despair
4 Sep
Summary
- Sammy Johns wrote "Desperado Love" during a period of personal crisis.
- Conway Twitty achieved his 40th and final No. 1 country hit with the song.
- Twitty's record of 40 No. 1s is surpassed only by George Strait.
Conway Twitty, a former pop hitmaker, found his definitive sound in country music, achieving 40 chart-topping hits.
His final No. 1 in the genre was "Desperado Love," co-written by Sammy Johns. Johns, who had previously achieved pop success with "Chevy Van" in 1975, transitioned to country songwriting.
"Desperado Love" emerged when Johns faced losing his home and turned to songwriting amidst personal hardship. Twitty recorded the song with Vince Gill providing backing vocals.
Released in 1986, "Desperado Love" topped the Hot Country Songs chart in September 1986, marking Twitty's historic 40th No. 1. This record has since been surpassed only by George Strait.
Although "Desperado Love" was Twitty's last top 10 hit, his subsequent singles continued to perform well. Twitty, born Harold Jenkins, passed away in June 1993 at age 59 and was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
