Slim Whitman

Slim Whitman

Slim Whitman (born January 20, 1924 in Tampa, Florida) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Whitman lives in Middleburg, Florida.[1]

Born Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr., he is 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 did not embark on a musical career until the end of World War II after he had 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 was not 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 had 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 had 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 would tour Europe and Australia with moderate success.

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.[2] 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

• I'm Casting My Lasso Towards The Sky 1949
• Lovesong of the Waterfall 1951
• Indian Love Call 1952 (Featured in Mars Attacks!)
• China Doll 1952
• There's A Rainbow In Every Teardrop 1953 (written by himself)
• Rose Marie 1954 (11weeks Nr.1 Hit)
• Cattle Call 1954
• Tumbling Tumbleweeds 1955
• Serenade
• I Remember You
• Una Paloma Blanca 1976

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

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

External links

• Slim Whitman Lyrics

• AllMusic Guide

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