Introduction
Before the name Conway Twitty meant anything in country music, Harold Lloyd Jenkins had another serious ambition: baseball. Born in Friars Point, Mississippi, in 1933, Jenkins grew up playing the game and became talented enough to play at a high level. Long before the hit records, the stage suits, and the long run of country No. 1s, there was a real possibility that his future might have been on a baseball field instead of behind a microphone.
He played semi-professionally and was reportedly scouted by the Philadelphia Phillies. For a young man from Mississippi, that was no small thing. Baseball was not just a hobby he happened to enjoy. It was something he was genuinely good at. Then military service changed the direction of his life.
Background
While serving in the U.S. Army and stationed in Japan, Jenkins continued to play baseball, but music was becoming harder to ignore. He performed with a group called the Cimmerons and began spending more time singing and playing than he had before.
By the time he returned to the United States, the balance had shifted.
Music eventually won. Harold Jenkins became Conway Twitty, first chasing rock and roll success before moving into country music, where he would build one of the most successful careers of his generation. Looking back, that early baseball chapter makes his story even more interesting. His life could easily have taken a completely different path.
Instead of playing ball professionally, he ended up spending decades singing about heartbreak, love, regret, and everything in between.
Video
Lyrics
🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤
Hello, darlin’, nice to see youIt’s been a long timeYou’re just as lovely as you used to beHow’s your new love? Are you happy?Hope you’re doin’ fineJust to know it means so much to meWhat’s that, darlin’? How am I doin’?I’m doin’ alright, except I can’t sleepI cry all night ’til dawnWhat I’m trying to say is, I love you, and I miss youAnd I’m so sorry that I did you wrongLook up, darlin’, let me kiss youJust for old time’s sakeLet me hold you in my arms one more timeThank you, darlin’, may God bless youAnd may each step you take bring you closerTo the things you seem to findGoodbye, darlin’, gotta go nowGotta try to find a way to lose these memoriesOf a love so warm and trueAnd if you should ever find it in your heart to forgive meCome back, darlin’, I’ll be waiting for you