ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti fˈaɪv, kˈɜːləs ɹᵻkˈoːɹdᵻd wˈʌn ʌvðə bˈɪɡɪst hˈɪts ʌv hɪz kɚɹˈɪɹ, "ɐ tˈuːmstoʊn ˈɛvɹi mˈaɪl", wˌɪtʃ kɹˈækt ðə tˈɑːp fˈaɪv ɔnðə bˈɪlboːɹd kˈʌntɹi tʃˈɑːɹts ænd pɹəpˈɛld hˌɪm tə nˈæʃənəl fˈeɪm.
In 1965, Curless recorded one of the biggest hits of his career, "A Tombstone Every Mile", which cracked the top 5 on the Billboard country charts and propelled him to national fame.