Although he started off in the late 1950s as a rockabilly artist his songs soon crossed over into the country music charts and it was in that genre that he enjoyed great success. His name was a play on words, taken from Conrad Birdie, the main character in the play (and later movie) Bye-Bye Birdie and Birdie was a take-off on Elvis. Twitty was a legend in country music until his premature death and he deserves his place in the country music hall of fame, not rock and roll.