Country music exec Singleton dead at 77

NASHVILLE, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Country music mogul Shelby Singleton, who helped jump-start the careers of singers like Roger Miller, died at the age of 77 in Nashville, a friend said.

Singleton's longtime friend, Jerry Kennedy, said the Sun Records label owner died of unspecified causes after being diagnosed with brain cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Singleton first rose to power in the country music industry in 1968 when he helped Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson, who used the stage name Jeannie C. Riley, earn a No. 1 hit with her take on Tom T. Hall's song "Harper Valley P.T.A."

In addition to purchasing Sun Records and the label's prestigious song catalog, Singleton enjoyed success working with rock 'n' roll singer Jerry Lee Lewis.

Kennedy remembered Singleton, who died Wednesday, as a hard-working producer who labored in numerous aspects of the music industry.

"He was one of the best all-around record men I've ever been in touch with," Kennedy told the Times. "He did so much and did it so well: promotion, marketing, production. He was even involved in publishing and merchandising. He did it all."

Singleton is survived by his wife Mary, four children, several grandchildren and a brother.