Singer, songwriter, musician, Donald Eugene Gibson, was one of the most popular and influential forces in '50s and '60s country music, scoring numerous hit singles as a performer and a songwriter. Gibson's music touched on both traditional country and highly produced country-pop, which is part of the reason he had such a broad audience. For at least a decade after his first hit single, "Sweet Dreams," in 1956, (a crossover hit for Patsy Cline in 1963), he was a reliable hitmaker, and many of his songs have become country classics. They have been covered by a wide range of artists, including Ray Charles, Kitty Wells, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, and Ronnie Milsap.