Biography:

James Thurston Nabors (June 12, 1930 – November 30, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle.

Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith while working at a Santa Monica nightclub, and he later joined The Andy Griffith Show, where he played the good-natured, unsophisticated Gomer Pyle. The character proved so popular that Nabors was given his own successful spin-off show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Nabors also became a popular guest on variety shows that showcased his rich baritone singing voice in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the featured guest on every season premiere of The Carol Burnett Show and he had two specials of his own in 1969 and 1974. He signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1965 and subsequently recorded numerous albums and singles, most of them containing romantic ballads. He recorded for Ranwood Records during the late 1970s.

Nabors was also known for singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” before the start of the Indianapolis 500, held annually on the Memorial Day weekend. He sang the unofficial Indiana anthem almost every year from 1972 to 2014, except for occasional absences due to illness or scheduling conflicts.^[1][2]

Early life and career

Nabors was born in Sylacauga, Alabama, on June 12, 1930,^[3] to Fred Nabors, a police officer, and Mavis Pearl (née Newman).^[4] He had two older sisters, Freddie and Annie Ruth.^[5][6] He sang for his high school and church. Later, he attended the University of Alabama, where he began acting in skits. While at Alabama, he became a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity.^[7] After graduating, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a typist for the United Nations;^[8][9] after a year, he moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he got his first job in television as a film cutter at NBC affiliate WRGP-TV (now WRCB-TV) and was also a substitute co-host on the show Holiday for Housewives.^[10]

Because of his asthma, Nabors moved to Los Angeles and continued his work as a film cutter, this time for NBC. He also worked at a Santa Monica tavern, The Horn, singing and acting in cabaret theater.^[11][12] His act featured him as a character similar to the later Gomer Pyle. He sang in a baritone and sometimes spoke and sang in his higher-pitched comedic voice.^[13] At the club, comedian Bill Dana saw Nabors’ act and invited him to appear on The Steve Allen Show. Nabors signed on to the show, but it was soon canceled.^[14]

Career

Breakthrough and popularity

Nabors made his television debut as “Jimmy Nabors” on the Today in Dixie show on WJBF in Augusta, Georgia. He was active in the choir at Grace United Methodist Church in North Augusta.^[15]

Andy Griffith discovered Nabors at The Horn and hired him to play a one-shot role of Gomer Pyle, a dimwitted gas station attendant on The Andy Griffith Show (Season 3, episode 13, “The Bank Job”).^[16] Nabors’ character was based on his act at The Horn, and it became so popular that he was made a regular on the show and was later given the spin-off show Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., in which his character joined the Marines. The show placed Nabors’ bungling, naive character opposite Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter (Frank Sutton).

Gomer Pyle remained popular despite the concurrence of the Vietnam War because the show avoided war-related themes and instead focused on the character’s rural roots and the relationship between Pyle and Carter.^[17][18][19] Nabors resigned from Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. after five seasons because he wanted to move on to something else, “reach for another rung on the ladder, either up or down.”^[20]

Singing career

Nabors first revealed his fine singing voice on the February 24, 1964, “The Song Festers” episode of The Andy Griffith Show and on April 8, 1964, on The Danny Kaye Show, and subsequently capitalized on it with numerous successful recordings and live performances.^[21][22] Most of the songs were romantic ballads, though he sang pop, gospel, and country songs as well.^{[23][24][25][26]}

The climactic vocal performance on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. came in an episode titled “The Show Must Go On”, aired November 3, 1967, in which Pyle sang “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” in Washington, D.C., at a U.S. Navy relief show, accompanied by the Marine Corps Band. A clip from the show, in which Pyle says the tag-line “Surprise, surprise, surprise!” appears in the Pink Floyd album The Wall in the song “Nobody Home“.^[27] He hosted a variety show, The Jim Nabors Hour (1969–1971), which featured his Gomer Pyle co-stars Ronnie Schell and Frank Sutton.^[28] Despite a poor critical reception, the show was popular^[29][30] and earned an Emmy nomination.^[31] After the cancellation of The Jim Nabors Hour, Nabors embarked on a nationwide roadshow.^[32]

Credits: