Billy Grammer, the country music guitarist and Grand Ole Opry regular, is remembered on what would have been his 101st birthday. Best known for the 1958 crossover hit “Gotta Travel On”, he combined a successful recording career with influential session work and later created a line of guitars bearing his name.

Born in Benton, Illinois, in 1925, Grammer learned guitar as a child, served in the US Army during the Second World War and gained early radio work in Virginia before joining Monument Records. “Gotta Travel On”, adapted from an old British folk tune, sold more than a million copies and reached number four in the US pop chart and number five in the country chart, helping secure his Opry role. His instruments became notable collectors’ items: Johnny Cash’s abalone-inlay Grammer guitar sold for $131,200 in 2004; Grammer died in 2011 aged 85.