From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Wed Apr 10, 2002  1:15 am - UPDATED 6 JANUARY 2004
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Sheb Wooley
 
SHEB WOOLEY

Born Shelby F. Wooley, 10 April 1921, on a farm near Erick, Oklahoma
Died 16 September 2003, Nashville, TN

Singer / songwriter / music publisher / comedian / actor.

Sheb Wooley is a versatile artist whose stylistic explorations have run
the gamut from hillbilly and western swing to straight pop, rock 'n' roll
and mainstream novelty to modern country. He started his career in
music as a songwriter in Nashville. After recording some sides for Bullet
and Bluebonnet, he began his 25-year residency at MGM Records in 1948.
He is best known, perhaps, for his novelty recordings, in particular the
# 1 smash "Purple People Eater" (1958), which made use of the double
speed recording technique popularized by David Seville's "Witch Doctor".
In addition to sped-up vocal effects, "The Purple People Eater" also
featured the sped-up sax of Plas Johnson. The record eventually sold
over 3,000,000 copes and started a whole merchandising rampage.

Other than a semi-serious chart topping C&W hit, "That's My Pa" (# 51,
1962), pop fans didn't seem to want to hear Wooley singing anything
but silly ditties. While Sheb had several other country chartings, most
of these - "Don't Go Near The Eskimos", "Hello Walls, no. 2", "Almost
Persuaded, no. 2" - were parodies created under the guise of an inebriated
character that Wooley called Ben Colder (comparable to Ferlin Husky's
alter ego Simon Crum).

As an actor, Wooley has appeared in some 50 films, including "High
Noon" (1951), "Giant" (1956) and "Rio Bravo" (1959). For four-and-a-half
years he was Pete Nolan in the TV western series "Rawhide".

Wooley has remained active as a performer, writer and music publisher
into the 1990s.

Recommended listening: "The Purple People Eater" (Bear Family CD).