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WAKELY, Jimmy

(b 16 Feb. '14, Mineola AR; d 23 Sep. '82) Country and Western/pop singer, a major star late '40s--50s. Grew up in Oklahoma, worked as sharecropper, journalist etc; teamed with Johnny Bond and Scotty Harrell as the Jimmy Wakely Trio '37 on WKY radio in Oklahoma City; Gene Autry recruited them for Melody Ranch CBS radio show in Hollywood. Wakely made a good impression and soon appeared in over 50 films incl. Heart Of The Rio Grande and Twilight On The Trail '41, Cowboy In The Clouds '43, Song Of The Range, Springtime In Texas '45. By the time he was named fourth most popular Western film actor '48 he was also a big-name recording artist, band incl. Spade Cooley, Cliffie Stone, Merle Travis and Wesley Tuttle (who had one of several '46 country hits with 'Detour', written by Paul Westmoreland and a pop hit for Patti Page '51). Signed first to Decca, Wakely hit with 'Too Late', 'Cimmaron', 'Cattle Call', 'There's A Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere' '43 (Elton Britt version was one of the biggest-selling country records ever). Joined Capitol, whose West Coast roster was of great importance to country music. 'I Wish I Had A Nickel' was a country hit '49; all his other hits crossed over to pop (according to Pop Memories; see Charts): 15 hits '43--56 incl. seven duos with Margaret Whiting: 'Slippin' Around' was a no. 1 country hit '49; Billboard ranked it a no. 2 pop hit, but Pop Memories ignores genres and says it was a no. 1 national hit for three weeks; apart from being a good song (by Floyd Tillman, who had his own no. 5 country hit) it was one of the first cheatin' songs, dealing realistically with the subject of adultery. 'Wedding Bells' on the flip was also a hit. Wakely's late hit entry was a duet with Karen Chandler, 'Tonight You Belong To Me' '56 on Decca (Chandler had sung with Benny Goodman '46 as Eve Young; was married to Jack Pleis, whose band backed her on Decca). Wakely had a CBS network radio show until '60, remained popular in clubs and was still recording on his own Shasta label mid-'70s. Albums incl. I'll Never Slip Around Again on Hilltop (with Whiting); Heartaches '61, Please Don't Hurt Me Anymore '63 on Decca; Slipping Around '67 on Dot, Jimmy Wakely Country '75 on Shasta.