Conway Twitty, one of the giants of country music shaped the genre into what it is today. He was old school country and did what he did better than anyone else of his era. We lost the Hall of Famer 27 years ago this week. In our list below, we give some of our favorite Conway Twitty memories.

He started out as a Baseball Player: Born in Mississippi and raised in Arkansas, Twitty was a big baseball fan, but he could also play the game. He even received an offer to play for the Philadelphia Phillies but turned it down to pursue his first passion, music. In the clip above, Twitty talks to David Letterman about his love for the game and owning a few minor league teams.

He began his music career as a '50s rocker: Twitty signed with MGM in 1958 and started touring and recording right away. It took a while to gain some momentum, but he eventually made it all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with his chart-topper It's Only Make Believe. Not only did American audiences love Conway Twitty, but he also topped the charts in dozens of other countries, selling over 22 million copies.

From Pop Star to Country Legend: Conway turned away from pop and rock music in 1966 and towards country. The move certainly paid off. Conway Twitty held the record for most number-one hits on the billboard country charts, with 40. A title he held until George Strait passed him in 2006.

Conway Twitty died on June 5th, 1993 of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Although he's been gone for nearly 30 years, his legend and influence is still alive and well today.

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