Sheb Wooley

As a singer, songwriter, actor and comedian, Sheb Wooley had an extensive entertainment career. He recorded a series of novelty songs including the 1958 hit Rock and Roll comedy single “The Purple People Eater” and under the name Ben Colder the Country hit “Almost Persuaded No. 2”. As an actor, he portrayed Cletus Summers, the principal of Hickory High School & assistant coach in the 1986 film Hoosiers; Ben Miller, brother of Frank Miller in the film High Noon; Travis Cobb in The Outlaw Josey Wales, and also had a co-starring role as scout Pete Nolan in the television series Rawhide. Wooley is also credited as the voice actor who provided the Wilhelm scream and all of the other stock sound effects for Thomas J. Valentino’s Major Records during the 1940s.

Wooley started his recording career in 1945. His music encompassed Western swing, Country, Hillbilly, Rock and Roll, Pop and novelty songs. At the start of the 1950s, Wooley began fusing Western Swing with Rhythm and Blues, but later in his career his music would shift to the more commercial Nashville sound.

In 1958, Wooley earned considerable fame with his hit Rock and Roll comedy single, “The Purple People Eater”, utilizing tape manipulation inspired by the David Seville single “Witch Doctor”. In the United Kingdom, he enjoyed a minor hit with the comedy single “Luke the Spook” on the flip side of “My Only Treasure”, a ballad in the Country and Western tradition. Wooley also had a string of Country hits, with his “That’s My Pa” reaching No. 1 of Billboard’s Hot C&W Sides chart in March 1962. That same year, Wooley intended to record the song “Don’t Go Near The Indians”, but he was delayed by an acting job. Meanwhile, Rex Allen recorded the song, and it was a hit. Wooley, however, would do the sequel to the song, “Don’t Go Near the Eskimos”, about a boy in Alaska named Ben Colder (had never “been colder”). This sequel was so successful that Wooley continued using the name Ben Colder, with one of his later recordings being “Shaky Breaky Car” (which parodied the song “Achy Breaky Heart”). In December 1963, his single “Hootenanny Hoot” became a top-10 hit in Australia; and in 1967 his song “The Love-in” (1967) was recognized as an acerbic commentary on the 1960s’ counterculture.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Wooley became a regular on the television series Hee Haw and wrote the theme song for the long-running series. On Hee Haw he often appeared as the character Ben Colder, playing him as a drunken Country songwriter. Outside of Hee Haw, Wooley released music and performed as Ben Colder, although he would still sing under his own name as well. Wooley continued to tour internationally and make personal concert appearances until his death in 2003. Wooley recorded his last written song just four days before he died.

Country’s Family Reunion One
Country’s Family Reunion Two
Country’s Family Reunion One Episode 1
Country’s Family Reunion Two Episode 1
Lookin’ Back Episode 1
Country’s Family Reunion One Episode 2
Country’s Family Reunion Two Episode 2
Country’s Family Reunion Two Episode 3
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