Wesley Tuttle, the California singer-songwriter credited with helping popularize country music outside the South and Appalachia, was born on this day in 1917 in Lamar, Colorado.
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How Wesley Tuttle Overcame a Childhood Accident to Chase His Dream
In 1945, Wesley Tuttle scored his first No. 1 country hit, “With Tears in My Eyes.” This accomplishment is all the more impressive when you learn that he did so with just two fingers on his left hand.
As a 6-year-old in California’s San Fernando Valley, Tuttle was the victim of a freak accident while helping his father at the family butcher shop. He lodged his hand inside a meat grinder, severing the three middle fingers.
With just the thumb and one finger on his left hand, Tuttle nonetheless taught himself to play guitar. He also re-learned the ukulele after taking it up at age 4.
As a teen, Tuttle spent some time performing with the Sons of the Pioneers, one of the country’s earliest Western harmony groups. He also contributed the yodeling heard in the “Silly Song” sequence of the 1937 Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
In 1944, the Californian signed with Capitol Records as their first country artist after Tex Ritter. Tuttle’s country hits included “Detour,” “I Wish I Had Never Met Sunshine,” and “Tho’ I Tried (I Can’t Forget You.)” He also starred in a handful of Western films such as Rainbow Over the Rockies (1947) and Song of the Sierras (1946.)
His Wife Marilyn Was Also a Celebrated Performer
Wesley Tuttle married singer-actress Marilyn Myers in 1947, and the two joined their friends Johnny Bond, Tex Ritter, Joe & Rose Lee Maphis, Merle Travis and several other legendary stars on Town Hall Party, the long-running Southern California country music and rockabilly program.
Failing eyesight forced Tuttle into retirement in the ’70s, and he decided to pursue a career as a minister. Marilyn opened a Christian book store in San Fernando, and the two were heavily involved in helping the International Western Music Association preserve their craft.
Wesley Tuttle died on Sept. 29, 2003, at age 85 in Sylmar, California. Marilyn Myers Tuttle remained a part of the Western music scene until her death on Jan. 11, 2025, at age 99. The couple had two children, eight grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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