Everything about Slim Whitman totally explained
Slim Whitman (born
January 20,
1924 in
Tampa, Florida) is an
American country music singer and songwriter. Whitman lives in
Middleburg, Florida.
(External Link
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Born
Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr., he's one of the best-selling and most influential artists in country music history and yet at the same time is one of the most unrecognized by the American public at large. Growing up, Whitman liked the country music of
Jimmie Rodgers that he was hearing on the radio but didn't embark on a musical career until the end of
World War II after he'd served in the South Pacific with the
United States Navy.
Whitman is a self taught left-handed
guitarist. Whitman is right-handed, but he lost almost all of the second finger on his left hand in an accident. Ottis Whitman worked at a shipyard in Tampa while developing a musical career, eventually performing with a band known as the "Variety Rhythm Boys". Whitman's first big break came when agent
Colonel Tom Parker heard him singing on the radio and offered to represent him. Signed with
RCA Records, he was billed as the cowboy singer, "Slim Whitman" and released his first
single in 1948. He toured and sang at a variety of venues including on the popular radio show, the
Louisiana Hayride.
Nevertheless, he wasn't able to make a living from music and had to keep a part-time job. That changed in the early 1950s after he recorded a version of the
Bob Nolan hit "Love Song of the Waterfall" that made it into the country music Top 10 chart. His next single, "Indian Love Call", was even more successful, going to the No.2 position. (It was used in the
1996 film "
Mars Attacks!" as Whit's yodeling and lilting melodies proves fatal to the invading Martians and "saves" the world.)
A
yodeler, Whitman avoided the "down on yer luck-buried in booze" songs, preferring instead to sing laid-back romantic melodies about simple life and love. Critics dubbed his musical style "countrypolitan," due to its fusion of country music and a more sophisticated crooner vocal style.
In 1955, in the
United Kingdom, he'd a
No.1 hit on the
pop music charts with "Rose Marie". With eleven weeks at the top of the charts, the song set a record that lasted for thirty-six years. Soon after recording this big hit, Whitman was invited to join the
Grand Ole Opry and in 1957, along with other musical stars, he appeared in the film musical,
Jamboree. Despite this exposure, he never achieved the level of stardom in the United States that he did in Britain, where he'd a number of hits during the 1950s and 60s. Throughout the early 1970s, he continued to record and was a guest on
Wolfman Jack's musical television show,
The Midnight Special. At the time, Whitman's recording efforts were yielding only minor hits and in 1974, he stopped making new records.
In 1979, Whitman filmed a TV commercial to support Suffolk Marketing's release of a greatest hits compilation, titled
All My Best, which went on to be the best-selling TV-marketed record in music history, with almost 1.5 million units sold.
Just For You (also under the Suffolk umbrella), followed in 1980, with a commercial that claimed Whitman "was number one in England longer than
Elvis and
The Beatles".
The Best followed in 1982, with Whitman concluding his TV marketing with
Best Loved Favorites in 1989, and
20 Precious Memories in 1991. During this time he'd tour Europe and Australia with moderate success.
On the strength of his hearty success with the Suffolk recordings, Whitman was briefly considered as a replacement for
John Lennon for a series of
Beatles reunion concerts in 1981 commemorating Lennon's passing. This plan was abandoned when both
Paul McCartney and
George Harrison opted for individual responses instead.
For his contribution to the recording industry, Slim Whitman has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street.
In 2003,
Rob Zombie used his song
"I Remember You" in his directorial debut
House of 1000 Corpses.
In late January 2008, a false rumor of Mr. Whitman's death spread through the internet, believed to have been started by an erroneous report posted on the website of the
Nashville Tennessean newspaper.
(External Link) Upon learning of the rumor, country singer
George Hamilton IV even dedicated and sang a hymn in Whitman's honor at a concert appearance.
Popular Songs
RCA Albums 1954 - 1966
SINGS AND YODELS RCA Victor LPM-3217 1954
BIRMINGHAM JAIL RCA Camden CAS-954 1966
Imperial Albums 1954 - 1970
AMERICA'S FAVORITE FOLK ARTIST Imperial IM-3004 1954
FAVORITES Imperial LP-12100 1954
SINGS Imperial LP-12104 1957
MY BEST TO YOU Imperial LP-12105 1959
COUNTRY FAVORITES Imperial LP-12106 1959
I'LL WALK WITH GOD Imperial LP-12032 1960
SONG OF THE OLD WATERWHEEL Imperial LP-12101 1960
I'LL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU Imperial LP-12135 1961
JUST CALL ME LONESOME Imperial LP-12137 1961
COOL WATER Imperial LP-12156 1961
ANNIE LAURIE Imperial LP-12163 1961
FOREVER Imperial LP-12171 1962
SINGS Imperial LP-12194 1962
HEART SONGS / LOVE SONG Imperial LP-12209 1962
I'M A LONELY WANDERER Imperial LP-12209 1962
YODELING Imperial LP-12235 1963
IRISH SONGS Imperial LP-12245 1963
ALL TIME FAVORITES Imperial LP-12252 1964
COUNTRY SONGS CITY HITS Imperial LP-12268 1964
LOVE SONG OF THE WATERFALL Imperial LP-12275 1965
REMINISCING Imperial LP-12288 1965
MORE THAN YESTERDAY Imperial LP-12303 1966
GOD'S HAND IN MINE Imperial LP-12308 1966
TRAVELIN' MAN Imperial LP-12313 1966
A TIME FOR LOVE Imperial LP-12333 1966
UNCHAIN YOUR HEART Sunset SUS-5112 1966
15TH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM Imperial LP-12342 1967
COUNTRY MEMORIES Imperial LP-12356 1967
LONESOME HEART Sunset SUS-5167 1967
IN LOVE THE WHITMAN WAY Imperial LP-12375 1968
HAPPY STREET Imperial LP-12411 1968
SLIM Imperial LP-12436 1969
CHRISTMAS ALBUM Imperial LP-12448 1969
SLIM WHITMAN Sunset SUS-5267 1969
RAMBLIN' ROSE Sunset SUS-5320 1970
United Artists Albums 1970 - 1977
É==Liberty Albums 1979==
Epic Albums 1980 - 1984
Slim and Byron Albums
Magic Moments Artwork England QED-268 1988
Soundtracks
Vice 2007 Tennessee Waltz
House of 1000 Corpses 2003 I Remember You
Mars Attacks! 1996 Indian Love Call
Mars Attacks! 1996 I'm Casting My Lasso Towards The Sky
Who'll Stop the Rain 1978 I'll Step Down
Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977 Love Song of the Waterfall
Filmography
The Midnight Special TV 23 January 1981
The Midnight Special TV 19 August 1972
Jamboree 1957 As Himself Further Information
Get more info on 'Slim Whitman'.
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