Born on 22 April 1929 in Ashland, Kentucky, and passing away on 20 August 1999, Gallion launched his musical path as a guitarist during the closing years of the 1940s. He performed regularly in clubs and honky tonks through 1952, at which point he took on vocal duties for Stoney Cooper and Wilma Lee’s Clinch Mountain Clan. Appearances with the group included regular slots at the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree in West Virginia. Offered an MGM Records deal in the mid-1950s, he opted to branch out on his own. His repertoire centered on honky tonk country material with occasional rockabilly numbers; he appeared on the Louisiana Hayride from Shreveport before settling in Nashville, where he made guest spots on the Grand Ole Opry and joined package tours with fellow performers. Chart entries first arrived in 1958 and 1959 via “That’s What I Tell My Heart” and “You Take The Table And I’ll Take The Chairs.” After affiliating with Acuff-Rose Music in 1960, he switched to the Hickory label and promptly reached the Top 10 with “Loving You Was Worth This Broken Heart,” then placed two more singles—“One Way Street” and “Sweethearts Again”—in the Top 20. His highest-charting release came in 1962 when “Wall To Wall Love” peaked at number 5. Increasingly drawn to radio work, he relocated operations to Georgia and spent six years at WGUN Atlanta. A 1968 session for United Artists Records produced his final solo chart appearance, “Pick A Little Happy Song.” He also rejoined the Wheeling Jamboree roster and remained a featured performer there until 1983. During that span he frequently shared bills with Patti Powell; the pair cut a 1973 minor hit, “Love By Appointment,” and later issued an album on Starday. Gallion steadily reduced his stage schedule, choosing instead to run Bob Gallion Productions, the Wheeling-based booking agency that coordinated tours for numerous artists as well as Jamboree attractions.
