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driver, but he began building a name for himself in country music as a performer and a songwriter

By 1940, Tubb picked up a contract with Decca Records, recording such popular singles as “Blue Eyed Elaine” and “I’ll Never Cry Over You ” In 1941, he recorded “Walking the Floor Over You,” a nationwide hit that propelled him to stardom. He recorded several soundtracks to a number of western films, and his fond memories of San Angelo inspired him to write “Beautiful San Angelo” during these years Tubb and his band, The Texas Troubadours, were hired as performers in Nashville in 1943 on WSM radio’s The Grand Ole Opry, the most popular country program on radio at the time In the process, he became the first performer to play an electric guitar on the program Tubb and the Texas Troubadours performed in four films in the 1940s, including Riding West (1944) and Hollywood Barn Dance (1947)

In 1947, he opened his own record store in Nashville, called simply the Ernest Tubb Record Shop The store’s reputation catapulted when he invited performers from The Grand Ole Opry to sing at the store on Saturday nights, broadcast on radio Midnite Jamboree became another huge success for WSM radio and Tubb personally, helping cement his reputation as a mentor of sorts to up-and-coming country acts In 1960, he released an album titled Ernest Tubb Record Shop.

In the 1960s, he partnered with Loretta Lynn on a number of hit songs, including “Mr and Mrs Used-to-Be” (1964) He would record four albums with her through 1973

He made a move to television in 1965 when he was given his own half-hour program, The Ernest Tubb Show, which ran in syndication for three years That same year, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and recorded one of his most famous singles, “Waltz Across Texas ” He continued to record, including the Top 40 albums Saturday Satan Sunday Saint (1969), Say Something Nice to Sarah (1972), and the self-titled Ernest Tubb (1975)

He continued to make periodic appearances in movies and on television One of his most famous later appearances was as himself at the Grand Ole Opry in the 1980 Loretta Lynn biographical film Coal Miner’s Daughter In 1983, he sang with Hank Williams, Jr, and Waylon Jennings in the song “Leave Them Boys Alone,” which became Tubb’s last Top Ten hit

Tubb died in Nashville in 1984 at the age of 70, leaving behind countless fans and the innumerable artists he inspired In 1999, he was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame And his Midnite Jamboree still plays on from his record store every Saturday night, now the second-longest running radio program in the country

Garrett Fulenchek update

Howe's Garrett Fulenchek is pitching in his fourth professional season and is with the Hudson Valley Renegades, which is a ClassA short-season team for the Tampa Bay Rays in the New York-Penn League

Fulenchek has appeared in two games so far as the season just started this past week On the season, he has pitched five innings and struck out seven, walking three