Jimmy Wakely
Induction Year: 1971
Birth Name: James Clarence Wakely
Birth Date: February 16, 1914
Place of Birth: Minneola, AR
Deceased: September 23, 1982
Place of Death: Sylmar, CA
Biography
Former Occupations:
Gas station attendant
Sharecropper
Education:
Grade school unknown - (1st - 8th grade)
Discography / Career Highlights
Career Milestones:
1936--won an amateur contest in Oklahoma City
1936--radio debut on station WKY in Oklahoma City 1937--organized the Jimmy Wakely Trio for a regular series of early morning shows on WKY (group consisted of Wakely, Johnny Bond and Scotty Harrell)
1938--met Gene Autry in Oklahoma; became friends
1940--trio signed by Gene Autry to join his CBS radio program "Melody Ranch Show" when Autry was a guest on their WKY program and heard the trio
1940--moved to California and began working in western movies as an extra
1941--signed with Decca Records
1943--formed the Saddle Pals for a series of movies for Columbia
1944--started working for Monogram Pictures Studio
1947--signed to a contract with Capitol Records
1952-1958--starred in own radio show over the CBS network
1961--starred in television series with Tex Ritter
mid 1960s--started own record label, Shasta
Catalog Highlights:
"Too Late" - Artists: Jimmy Wakely (1941)
"I'll Never Let You Go Little Darlin'" - Artists: Jimmy Wakely, Elvis Presley
"Those Gone and Left Me Blues" - Co-writer: Johnny Bond
"You Can't Break the Chains of Love"
"Beautiful Brown Eyes" - Artists: Jimmy Wakely and the Les Baxter Chorus (1951)
"Cowboy" - Co-writer: Joseph Gershensen - Artists: Jimmy Wakely (1957)
"Foreign Love Affairs" - Co-writer: Charles Dant - Artists: Jimmy Wakely (1951)
"I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" - Artists: Jimmy Wakely (1956)
"Lonely Is the Hunter" - Co-writer: Howie Horowitz - Artists: Jimmy Wakely (1958)
"That's Santa Claus" - Artists: Jimmy Wakely (1957)
Comments:
Known as "The Singing Cowboy" and "The Melody Kid"
DC Comics published a Jimmy Wakely comic book (from September 1949 to July 1952)
Appeared on the "Kate Smith Hour"; also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and the National Barn Dance.
From his son, John Wakely: "I know for sure that his last performance was six weeks before he died of emphysema, and to a packed house...and to another standing ovation. He couldn't even walk up the six steps to get on the stage, instead he just walked around in front of it and leaned on it. My sister, who also worked with us, sat down on the edge of the stage and the three of us did our stuff for as long as he could stand there."
