Lloyd Copas, better known as Cowboy Copas, was one of the most popular country performers in the late 1940s.  He recorded for King Records, the Cincinnati independent label operated by Sydney Nathan.  Each month Copas traveled from Cincinnati to Nashville for the purpose of buying songs from the writers.  When he returned with the songs, Nathan repaid him with half of the cost.  Copas took author’s rights of the songs, and Nathan took the publishing rights for his Lois Music.

One month, Copas returned to Cincinnati with a new batch of songs.  He told Nathan that he had refused one good song because the writers wanted too much money for it, $25. "It’s called ‘Tennessee Waltz,’ Copas explained, "and all it is, is a copy of Eddy Arnold’s ‘Missouri Waltz.’  And I don’t want people goin’ around sayin’ I’m followin’ Eddy Arnold."

Nathan expressed agreement, but added that maybe, for superstitious reasons, Copas should pick the song up next time he was in Nashville.  He gave Copas an extra $10 bill.

Next month, Copas returned from Nashville, again without the song. "They sold it, huh?" Nathan asked. "Well no, Mr. Nathan," said Copas. "The bastards put the price up to fifty dollars, and I wasn’t going to pay that much."

Syd Nathan smiled and patted Copas’s back. "You done right," he said. "There ain’t no song in the world worth fifty dollars."
                                                                                   (pg. 123-125 – 1^st edtion)