Steven Cuevas
May 12, 2008
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Country singer Jerry Wallace has died at his home in Victorville. He was 79. Wallace had a string of hits in the 1950's and later went on to a successful career in TV and radio advertising. KPCC's Steven Cuevas has more.

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If you never heard Jerry Wallace's biggest hits, you could be forgiven. They topped the charts 50 years ago.

["How the Time Flies" by Jerry Wallace plays]

A mellow country crooner called "How The Time Flies" was Wallace's first big hit back in 1958. His biggest success came a year later with the song "Primrose Lane." It reportedly sold more than a million copies. Wallace was born in Kansas, served in the Navy during World War Two, and later moved to Hollywood in the late 1940s. After those first hits in the late '50s, chart success was elusive. Wallace had a comeback in the early '70s after a few of his songs turned up in TV shows and commercials. He even recorded a theme song for a Japanese cologne called "Mandom."

["Mandom" plays]

In 1972, Wallace was nominated for the Country Music Association's male vocalist of the year award. He retired from music soon after. Wallace died a week ago of heart failure at his home in Victorville. He was 79.