Paul Westmoreland

Paul "Okie Paul" Westmoreland (born September 19, 1916 in Oklahoma , † June 21, 2005 in California ) was an American country musician , songwriter and radio host. His most famous composition is Detour .

Life

Paul Westmoreland, like many other farmers and rural poor, moved to California in the hope of work and prosperity during the Dust Bowl era . During the Second World War he worked in fields or in the arms industry around Los Angeles . At that time he was already earning something with music. After the war he moved to Sacramento , where his most successful career began. He had his own radio show as early as 1946 and was soon known as Okie Paul . Okie was the often derogatory term used by the Oklahoma farm workers, but Westmoreland wore this name with pride and added the phrase “ Tell 'em Okie Paul send ya, heah! "(" Tell them, Okie Paul is sending you! ").

At the same time he started his own record label, San Antonio Records , began writing songs and opened his own bar, the Detour Inn in Chico, northern Sacramento. There he stood behind the counter and performed as a musician. He lived with his family right next to his restaurant.

His composition Detour (There's a Muddy Road Ahead) became his greatest commercial success. The song was recorded in 1946 by West Coast star Spade Cooley and his western swing orchestra and made a hit. In the same year Foy Willing , Elton Britt and Wesley Tuttle also achieved great success with the title. Patti Page's 1951 version stayed in the US charts for 16 weeks and climbed to number 5.

Westmoreland's other songwriting successes include Lordy, Oh Lord , Save the Pieces and What's Another Broken Heart to You . In addition to his own record releases on his San Antonio label, he also played records for Four Star Records . Most of these were recorded with Westmoreland's band, the Pecos River Boys , with whom he also accompanied other artists on recordings.

Westmoreland remained a fixture in the music scene on the west coast of California, especially around Sacramento, into the 1950s. He died in California in 2005. His son Dave Westmoreland also became a musician.

Discography

year	title	#	Remarks
Published titles
San Antonio Records
1946	Can't Win, Can't Place, Can't Show / Trouble Keeps Hanging 'Round My Door	101
1946	Wrong Side of the Track / Headin 'Down the Wrong Highway	102
1946	Texas Steel Guitar / Oklahoma Bound	106
1946	One Way Street / From Now On	108
4 Star Records
1954	Howl and Prowl / No Tears Left	1648
1954	Hot Rod Rag / Caffeine and Nicotine	1651
Pride Records
	Richard Petty Does His Thing / Nothing Turns Out Right	9-309

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gerald W. Haslam, Alexandra Haslam Russell, Richard Chon: Workin 'Man Blues: Country Music in California (2005), p. 115; Heyday Books, ISBN 1597140171

Web links

• Paul Westmoreland on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
• Paul Westmoreland on Mellow's Log Cabin