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Best known for his visual and vocal resemblance to Elvis Presley, Ronnie McDowell enjoyed a series of Top Ten hits on the country charts during the first half of the '80s. McDowell was born in 1950 and raised in the small town of Portland, TN, and started singing publicly while serving the Navy in the Philippines. He hit big in 1977 with "The King Is Gone," a tribute to Presley written immediately after the singer's death; released on the Scorpion label, the song climbed into the Top 20 of both the pop and country charts. McDowell capitalized on the exposure to land another hit, the Top Five country single "I Love You, I Love You, I Love You," in 1978. The following year, he was tapped to sing the vocals for an Elvis TV movie starring Kurt Russell. Afraid he was becoming pigeonholed, McDowell teamed up with producer Buddy Killen at Epic Records in hopes of broadening his style. The plan worked, as McDowell became a consistent country hitmaker. He scored a number one hit in 1981 with ...
