The Life Of Roy Acuff Commemorative Stamp

The Roy Acuff commemorative stamp was published by the United States Postal Service in 2003. Roy Acuff, nicknamed “King of Country Music,” was one of country music's first icons. He helped establish the Grand Ole Opry as the United States' leading country music venue, and through his position in the music publishing business, he influenced Nashville, Tennessee’s notoriety as the country music capital of the United States (Smithsonian National Postal Museum, 2003). These stamps recognize Roy Acuff for his country music superstardom, and his role in establishing Nashville as the center of this music genre. The Roy Acuff commemorative stamp is one of many stamps that are not only used in the mail delivery system but are important to collectors

When he was a young boy in Maynardville, Tennessee, Roy Acuff did not aspire to become a musician. As a boy in the early 1900’s, Acuff’s interests were in sports rather than in music. He did, however, play mouth harp and harmonica and sing in the church choir, but he was neither talented nor passionate about it. Interestingly, Acuff loved to hear his father play the fiddle. His father was a skilled fiddle player, and his music made a lasting impression on Acuff. Still Acuff’s interest in sports remained strong, and because he was a talented athlete, he played semi-professional baseball. His athletic skills grabbed the attention of major league scouts. In 1929, however, in the middle of a baseball game, Roy Acuff suffered an intense sunstroke. This ended his baseball career. Restricted to the indoors for the next two years of his life, Roy Acuff redirected his passion and began to improve his musical skills. He learned to play the fiddle and developed his vocal abilities. Acuff was attracted to the music of Johnny Carson, Gid Tanner, and the Skillet Lickers who influenced his personal playing style. He started a country music band, the Tennessee Crackjacks, which quickly gained a local following. In 1936, the band changed its name to the Crazy Tennesseans and recorded several songs with the American Record Company. “The Great Speckled Bird” was Acuff’s first major hit. In