Country singer/songwriter Franklin Delano Reeves was born on July 14, 1932, in Sparta, North Carolina. He was the youngest of eleven children, Reeves learned how to play guitar with his mother’s help (he borrowed his brothers’ instruments while they were serving in World War II) and was a local radio star at age 12. Del attended Appalachian State College in Boone, North Carolina, and served in the Air Force, where he wrote and performed songs while stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California. He then became a regular on “The Chester Smith Show” from 1958 to 1961. Reeves signed with Capitol Records in 1954. In 1965 Del had his biggest and most beloved smash success with the delightful trucker’s country tune “Girl on the Billboard,” which soared all the way to #1 on the country radio charts and sold a million copies. Del became a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry in 1966 and was well regarded as a great entertainer thanks to his deft comic timing, positive attitude, and amusing impressions. Reeves became a music executive in 1979 and helped to promote the career of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus in the early 90’s. The Del Reeves Scholarship is given to a graduate with musical talent.