Country singer and songwriter Claude King has died. He was an original member of the Louisiana Hayride, a TV and radio show produced in Shreveport and broadcast in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

He was best known for the 1962 hit 'Wolverton Mountain.' King was 90.

He had just celebrated his birthday and 67th wedding anniversary  to his wife, Barbara, last month. The couple's eldest son, Duane King, said his father was found unresponsive in his bed early Thursday morning at his home in Shreveport.

King was a writer on 'Wolverton Mountain' along with Nashville veteran Merle Kilgore. The song was based on a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on Wolverton Mountain in Arkansas. Clowers was Kilgore's uncle.

The song became an immediate hit, staying at number one for nine weeks during its 26 week run on the Billboard country chart. It was also a Top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded gold disc status.

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