 In the 1960s Durham signed to Capitol Records and released several singles, including his take on the Merle Haggard song "My Past Is Present".In 1965 he was nominated for Most Promising Male Vocalist for the Academy of Country Music Awards and again in 1966 as Most Promising Vocal Group for a duet recording he did with "Jeanie O'Neal".In 1968, he released a self-titled album, which was produced by Chet Atkins.