Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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McDONALD, Skeets

(b Enos William McDonald, 1 October 1915, Greenway AR; d 31 March 1968) Honky-tonk singer; as a child he called mosquitoes 'skeets' and the name stuck. He played music for fun as a child; took it more seriously when he moved to Detroit, playing full-time in the Lonesome Cowboys on WEXL in 1935, forming his own band and working other radio stations and club dates. He served in WWII in North Africa, India and Okinawa, returned to Michigan and joined the Rhythm Riders on a local TV show. He recorded for London and Mercury as Skeets Saunders, moved to California '51 and joined Cliffie Stone's TV show Hometown Jamboree, signed to Capitol and recorded classic honky-tonk including 'Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes', a country no. 1 for three weeks '52. (The song's author, Slim Willett, had a no. 1 with it for one week, and the following year Perry Como had a huge national pop no. 1 on it for five weeks.) Skeets became a regular on Town Hall Party alongside the Collins Kids, adapted easily to rockabilly and rock'n'roll and gained a cult following with UK fans; he moved on to Columbia '59 and recorded more in Nashville including hits 'This Old Heart' '60 and 'Call Me Mr. Brown' '63. He was a regular on the Opry and the Big D Jamboree in Dallas but died of a heart attack, and is now one of country's forgotten influences. His albums included Rockin' Rollin' and Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes '86 on Bear Family.