Vern Gosdin, the country singer known as "The Voice," was born 92 years ago on 5 August 1934 in Woodland, Alabama. He first made his mark during California's folk rock boom, playing alongside a young Chris Hillman and occasionally opening for the Byrds, before later moving to Nashville, where his traditional honky tonk sound found renewed success amid the neotraditional country movement of the 1980s.

Gosdin began in gospel music with his brothers before relocating to Long Beach in 1961, where the Gosdin Brothers scored a minor hit with "Hangin' On" in 1967. After a brief retirement in Atlanta, he returned to music in the mid-1970s, recording a demo with Emmylou Harris that secured him an Elektra Records deal. His career peaked commercially between 1987 and 1989 with chart-toppers including "Set 'Em Up Joe" and "I'm Still Crazy," and he continued performing until his death in 2009.