Mick Hartley

Somewhere between Elvis and Roy Orbison came Harold Jenkins – aka Conway Twitty:

No bridge, no middle eight, no overall build-up – just the verse repeated three times, each verse ending with that same intensity. Originally released as a B side, the song made #1 in the pop charts in 1958.

Jenkins felt that his real name wasn't marketable, and he changed his show business name in 1957. (Harold Lloyd Jenkins remained his legal name.) Looking at a road map, he spotted Conway, Arkansas, and Twitty, Texas. Thus, he went with the professional name of "Conway Twitty".

Alternatively, Jenkins met a Richmond, VA, man named W. Conway Twitty Jr. through Jenkins' manager in a New York City restaurant. The manager served in the army with the real Conway Twitty. Later, the manager suggested to Jenkins that he take the name as his stage name because it had a ring to it. The Richmond Conway Twitty subsequently recorded the song, "What's in a Name But Trouble," in the mid-1960s, lamenting the loss of his name to Jenkins.

There are also rumors that the country artist had lovers in Conway, Arkansas, as well as Twitty, Texas. His stage name was a constant reminder of their love while he was away.