Leroy Van Dyke built a country music career spanning seven decades

Country music singer Leroy Van Dyke was born on October 4, 1929, in Mora, Missouri, and has built a career spanning seven decades that includes more than 500 recorded songs and continuous touring into his 90s, americansongwriter.com reported. Before establishing himself in the music industry, Van Dyke earned a degree in agricultural journalism at the University of Missouri with initial aspirations of farming.

Early Life and Military Service Inspire The Auctioneer

After college, Van Dyke worked as a newspaper reporter until he was drafted into the Korean War, where he performed for fellow troops and began writing songs, including the track that launched his career. Co-written with Buddy Black, The Auctioneer drew on Van Dyke’s real-life experiences as well as those of his second cousin, Ray Sims, whom Van Dyke described as probably the best cattle auctioneer that ever walked. Van Dyke first performed the track live for troops on the same billing as Marilyn Monroe. A subsequent performance in a Chicago radio station talent show landed him a contract with Dot Records, which released the single in September 1956.

The single sold 2.5 million copies, reaching the top 10 on the U.S. country chart and the top 20 on the pop chart. Van Dyke later moved to Nashville in 1961 and signed with Mercury Records, releasing the Kendall Hayes-written track Walk On By the same year. That release reached number one on the U.S. country chart and peaked at number five on the pop chart, holding the top spot on the country charts for 19 weeks—a record that stood for 51 years until Florida Georgia Line surpassed it in 2013 with Cruise.

Touring and Breeding Operations Continue in Missouri

Van Dyke released music through the early 1980s, appeared in the 1967 film What Am I Bid? and co-hosted the syndicated Country Crossroads radio program for a decade. He is a member of the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame and continues to tour. He also raises premium quality Arabian mules at his 1,000-acre ranch near Sedalia, Missouri.