"Good Morning, Starshine" Singer Oliver Dead At 54

William Oliver Swofford--who recorded in the late 1960s under the name Oliver--died Saturday (2/12) in Shreveport, La., after battling cancer. He was 54. Swofford was best known for his hit rendition of "Good Morning, Starshine" from the musical "Hair," which reached No. 3 on the pop charts.

Oliver climbed to No. 2 on the pop charts with the follow-up ballad ''Jean,'' but no further hits followed. He signed his first record contract in the mid-1960s, when he was with the country-rock band Good Earth. He formed that band with fellow students the University of North Carolina.

According to the Shreveport Times, he switched careers in 1982, becoming a residential builder's representative in Dallas, where he met and married his wife, Becky. He moved to Shreveport in 1996.