Jimmy Wakely

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Jimmy Wakely (born February 16, 1914 as James Clarence Wakeley in Mineola , Arizona , † September 23, 1982 ) was an American country singer and cowboy performer.

Beginnings

Jimmy Wakely, who came from a poor family, grew up in rural Oklahoma and was a fan of Jimmie Rodgers from an early age . With Johnny Bond and Scotty Harrell he founded the Three Bell Trio. At the end of the thirties, the three musicians managed to get a permanent engagement with a radio station in Oklahoma City . When Harrel left and was replaced by Dick Reinhart, the name was changed to Jimmy Wakely Trio. In 1940 they met Gene Autry . The superstar of the Hollywood western made it possible for them to appear on his Melody Ranch radio show in Los Angeles.

Career

In 1942, Wakely signed a record deal with the Decca label. His first hit was There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere . In 1949, his pop-oriented song I'm Sending You Red Roses made it to number three on the country charts. In addition to his musical activities, he appeared as a small actor in westerns, often at the side of Johnny Bond and Dick Reinhart.

In 1944 he received the lead role in the B-Western Song Of The Range from the small film company Monogram Pictures . Wakely took the chance and became one of the most famous singing cowboys in Hollywood of the post-war era. However, the western genre had long since passed its peak, so that his film career was short-lived. He was all the more successful as a singer. With his pleasant, warm voice, he easily made it high in both the country and pop charts.

In 1947 he switched to the Capitol label. With One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) he scored one of the greatest hits of the forties a year later; it came to # 1 on the country charts . This success was surpassed by Slipping Around , sung in a duet with Margaret Whiting , which was at the top of the country charts for an incredible 17 weeks and also reached number one on the pop hit parade. Wakely and Whiting then recorded other successful singles. After that, his sales dropped and he changed labels several times. In 1952 he received his own radio show, the Jimmy Wakely Show, and in 1961 he oversaw a television show with Tex Ritter .

Discography

  • 1956 - Santa Fe Trail
  • 1957 - Enter & Rest & Pray
  • 1966 - Slippin 'Around
  • 1967 - Enter & Rest & Pray
  • 1968 - Show Me The Morning
  • 1969 - Heartaches
  • 1969 - Please Don't Hurt Me Anymore

Filmography (selection)

  • 1939: Saga of Death Valley
  • 1959: Shotgun Slade (TV series, an episode)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Wakely, Jimmy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wakeley, James Clarence (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country singer and cowboy performer
DATE OF BIRTH February 16, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Mineola , Arizona
DATE OF DEATH 23rd September 1982