1932–1959: Early life and beginnings Leon Rhodes was born on March 10, 1932, in
Dallas,
Texas. He was born into a musically inclined family as his father, James Edward Rhodes, played the guitar and
harmonica while his mother, May Rhodes (née Meharg), was a
pianist. Rhodes began to teach himself to play guitar at the age of ten. Rhodes and his family were
Pentecostals, and he played at dances for his church. When Rhodes was 16 years old, he was hired for his first job in the music industry as a member of "The Big D Jamboree" radio program on Dallas station
KRLD. He received his first recording opportunities in the 1950s, when he worked as a
session musician for fellow Texans
Lefty Frizzell and
Ray Price. Rhodes also played at the Silver Spur Club and the
Longhorn Ballroom for owner
Jack Ruby, the man later known for killing
Lee Harvey Oswald in the wake of the
assassination of John F. Kennedy.
1959–1967: Ernest Tubb and the Texas Troubadours In 1959, Rhodes played a set at the Longhorn Ballroom prior to an evening performance at the venue by
Ernest Tubb and the Texas Troubadours. One of the Troubadours, steel guitarist
Buddy Emmons, asked Rhodes to play in Tubb's style and invited him to work with the band in
Nashville. Rhodes initially turned down the offer but eventually agreed to partake in a two-week tour with the band. By 1960, he was hired as the lead guitarist for the group. He toured with the Troubadours for 200 to 300 days a year and recorded with them. Rhodes was credited on 12 Tubb albums, including
Thanks a Lot (1964) and
My Pick of the Hits (1965). Rhodes also backed Tubb on
Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be, a 1965 collaborative album with
Loretta Lynn. In 1966, Rhodes and several of his Troubadour bandmates worked with
Willie Nelson on his album
Country Favorites – Willie Nelson Style.
Another Story, the final Troubadours project involving Rhodes, was released in 1967 and was the band's most successful studio album as it peaked at sixth on
Billboard magazine's
Top Country Albums chart. Rhodes left the Troubadours in December 1966. In 1981, Rhodes played bass for
John Denver's album
Some Days Are Diamonds,
B. J. Thomas's
Some Love Songs Never Die, and
Don McLean's
Believers. In 1983, Rhodes worked with
George Strait on
Right or Wrong, a country chart-topper that received a
platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America. In 2014, Rhodes retired from his music career and was subsequently honored by the
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in its "Nashville Cats" series. ==Personal life==