George Hamilton IV (born July 19, 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American country musician, known across the world for singles like "Before This Day Ends" and "Abilene". He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, only later switching to pop-country, then folk music. At age 19, George had a big pop hit in 1956 with ?A Rose And A Baby Ruth" on Colonial Records, climbing to No. 6 on the pop charts. Although it found general popularity, he was essentially a country singer (note the flip side, "If You Don't Know," with a distinctly country sound). His lifelong ambition had been to be on the Grand Ole Opry. Soon after his win on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" and subsequent week on "Arthur Godfey and His Friends", he achieved this goal and stayed for many years. His breakthrough hit was 1961's "Before This Day Ends." His biggest hit came two years later with "Abilene," a four-week No. 1 hit on Billboard magazine's