Every so often a country singer will appear on the scene, crash the charts with a smash hit and disappear. Claude King did just that. For a time King was hailed as one of the fastest-rising young singers in the country music arena. Claude was a one-hit artist known primarily for his single, Wolverton Mountain. The song, which contained the great line, “…her tender lips are sweeter than hoe-nee,” was his only No. 1 single. He had 30 songs on the Billboard charts, but only 6 top-10 hits and his sole No. 1. King’s preceding and subsequent releases produced only moderate chart activity. Claude’s career, which waned in the early 70s, spanned a little more than a decade. However, for a brief time in 1962, Claude was at the top of the charts with his hot single he co-wrote with Merle Kilgore.

Claude King was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, on February 5, 1933. At age twelve he bought his first guitar for fifty cents. This began the inception of his singing and writing talents. During the 50s, he regularly performed at clubs, radio stations and on TV. He first recorded for the tiny Gotham label in 1952. However, Claude big break came when he secured a recording contract with Columbia in 1961. His initial chart activity included Big River, Big Man, The Comancheros and The Burning of Atlanta.

King’s most famous recording Wolverton Mountain was a hit in both country and pop fields. It dominated Billboard’s No. 1 spot for 9 weeks and hit No. 6 on the pop charts. Wolverton Mountain was the 2nd biggest single in country music in 1962. Carl Butler's Don't Let Me Cross Over was the biggest song that year. King's subsequent singles included, Tiger Woman and All For the Love of a Girl. His final top-40 hit was Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Place, which charted in 1971. Columbia dropped him from their roster the following year.

Today his original recordings are very difficult to locate. However, in 1990, Columbia Records released a compact disc (CD) called American Originals. The CD features some of King’s biggest hits and is one of a series of artists Columbia Records featured in their American Originals series. On the CD are such hits as Tiger Woman, Wolverton Mountain, Big River, Big Man and All For the Love of a Girl.

Claude - American Originals is currently available at