Slim Whitman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Slim Whitman
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Whitman in 1968
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr. |
| Also known as | O. D. Whitman The Smilin' Starduster |
| Born | January 20, 1923 Oak Park, Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 2013 (aged 90) Orange Park, Florida, U.S. |
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| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | Touring 1945–2003; recording 1948-1983, 2002 |
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Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr. (born January 20, 1923 – died June 19, 2013), known as Slim Whitman, was an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was famous for his special way of singing called yodeling and for using a high voice called falsetto.
Slim Whitman sold many records, with some reports saying over 120 million. He had a long career that lasted more than 70 years. He released over 100 albums and recorded about 500 songs. His music included country, gospel, Broadway songs, and love songs. In the 1950s, he even toured with Elvis Presley, performing before Elvis went on stage.
Later, in the 1990s and 2000s, new fans discovered Slim Whitman's music. His songs were used in movies like Mars Attacks!. In that film, his song "Indian Love Call" was a secret weapon against aliens. When the song played, the aliens' heads would explode! His song "I Remember You" was also heard in the movie House of 1000 Corpses.
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About Slim Whitman
Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr. was born in Tampa, Florida, on January 20, 1923. He was one of six children.
When he was growing up, he enjoyed country music by Jimmie Rodgers and songs by Gene Autry. But he didn't start his own music career until after World War II. He served in the United States Navy during the war. While on a ship, he sang to entertain the crew. This actually saved his life! His captain stopped him from transferring to another ship, which later sank with everyone on board. Before music, Slim wanted to be a boxer or a professional baseball player.
Slim Whitman's Music Career
Slim Whitman taught himself to play the guitar, even though he was right-handed and played with his left. He had lost part of a finger in an accident at a meat packing plant. He worked different jobs while trying to start his music career. He played with bands like the Variety Rhythm Boys.
Starting Out in Music
Slim Whitman's big chance came when a talent manager named Colonel Tom Parker heard him on the radio. Parker offered to manage him. After signing with RCA Records, he was called "the cowboy singer Slim Whitman." This name was inspired by another singer, Wilf Carter, who was known as Montana Slim.
In 1948, Slim released his first song, "I'm Casting My Lasso Towards The Sky." It even had his famous yodel! He performed in many places, including the radio show Louisiana Hayride.
At first, he couldn't make enough money from music. He kept a part-time job at a post office. But things changed in the early 1950s. He recorded "Love Song of the Waterfall," which became a top 10 country hit. His next song, "Indian Love Call," was even more popular. It reached number two on the country charts and made it into the top ten pop songs in the U.S.
His Famous Songs
Slim Whitman was a yodeler, but he often sang calm, romantic songs about simple life and love. Music critics called his style "countrypolitan." This was because it mixed country music with a smooth, crooning vocal style.
He recorded many country songs like "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "The Cattle Call." But he also sang many love songs such as "Serenade" and "Keep It a Secret."
Big Hits in the UK
In 1955, Slim Whitman had a huge hit in the United Kingdom with "Rose Marie." It was number one on the pop music charts for 11 weeks! This song held the record for the longest time at number one in the UK for 36 years.
In 1956, he became the first country music singer to perform at the famous London Palladium. Soon after, he was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, a famous country music show in the U.S. In 1957, he also appeared in the movie musical Jamboree. Even with all this, he was always more popular in Britain than in the United States.
In the 1970s, Slim Whitman continued to record music. He appeared on the TV show The Midnight Special. In the UK, his albums were very successful. In 1976, The Very Best of Slim Whitman was number one for six weeks. In 1977, Red River Valley also reached number one. Later that year, Home on the Range made it to number two.
In 1979, Slim Whitman made a TV commercial for a greatest hits album called All My Best. This album sold almost 1.5 million copies! It was one of the best-selling TV-marketed records ever. Other albums like Just for You and The Best followed. His last album, Twilight on the Trail, came out in 2010.
Slim was voted Best International Male Vocalist at The International Country Music Awards four times, from 1976 to 1979.
TV Commercials and Popularity
The TV albums made Slim Whitman well-known in America for the first time. He appeared on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. He was even made fun of in a comedy skit on SCTV. These TV albums also helped him have a brief return to mainstream country music. He toured Europe and Australia with good success.
Popularity Around the World
Even though he was sometimes called "America's Favorite Folk Singer," Slim Whitman was always more popular in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom. He was loved for his covers of pop songs, movie songs, love songs, folk tunes, and gospel hymns.
His 1955 hit "Rose Marie" was number one in the UK for 11 weeks. It held the Guinness World Record for the longest time at number one on the UK Singles Chart for 36 years. In the U.S., his songs "Indian Love Call" (1952) and "Secret Love" (1953) both reached number two on the Billboard country chart.
Slim Whitman had many top 10 hits from the mid-1960s into the 1970s. He gained new fans through TV commercials in the 1980s. He continued to tour around the world in the 1990s and 2000s. His final album, Twilight on the Trail, was released in 2010.
Later Recordings and Performances
Angeline, released in 1984, was Slim Whitman's last album under a contract. After that, he continued to tour. His last performance in the UK was in 2002, and in the U.S. in 2003.
In 2010, after eight years of work, Slim Whitman released Twilight on the Trail. He was 87 years old at the time. The album featured classic western songs like Gene Autry's "Back in the Saddle Again". His son, Byron Whitman, produced the album.
Slim Whitman's Personal Life
Slim Whitman was married to Alma Geraldine "Jerry" Crist for 67 years. She passed away in 2009. They had two children: a daughter named Sharron and a son named Byron Keith Whitman. Byron is also a musician and has performed and recorded with his father many times.
From 1957 until he died, Slim Whitman lived at his home called Woodpecker Paradise in Middleburg, Florida. He was an active member and deacon at his church. A book about his life, "Mr. Songman: The Slim Whitman Story," was written in 1982.
His Passing
On January 20, 2008, which was Slim Whitman's 85th birthday, a newspaper mistakenly reported that he had died. This false report spread quickly online.
Slim Whitman actually passed away from heart failure on June 19, 2013, at the age of 90. He is buried next to his wife in Middleburg, Florida.
Slim Whitman's Legacy
For his contributions to music, Slim Whitman received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Famous musicians like George Harrison from The Beatles said Slim Whitman influenced them. George Harrison said Slim Whitman was the first person he saw playing a guitar. When a young Paul McCartney got his first guitar, he was left-handed and didn't know how to play a right-handed guitar. But after seeing a picture of Slim Whitman playing left-handed, McCartney re-strung his guitar to play the same way. The pop singer Michael Jackson also said Slim Whitman was one of his favorite singers.
The 1996 movie Mars Attacks! famously used Slim Whitman's song "Indian Love Call" as a weapon against alien invaders. The song made the Martians' heads explode! In 2003, director Rob Zombie used Whitman's version of "I Remember You" in his movie House of 1000 Corpses.
Discography
See also
In Spanish: Slim Whitman para niños
