On this day (January 20) in 1923, Slim Whitman was born in Tampa, Florida. He pursued a music career after getting out of the military. First, he became popular in the United States. Then, he broke into the European market, where he set a chart record that stood for decades. Later in his career, Whitman took advantage of TV marketing and became a household name across the United States.
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While Whitman loved music and could sing, yodel, and play guitar, he didn’t initially set out to be a professional musician. Instead, he wanted to play baseball professionally. Then, while in the United States Navy, he sang and played guitar for his shipmates. His performances were so good for morale that a senior officer blocked Whitman’s transfer to another ship. This move saved his life. That ship later sank, leaving no survivors.
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After leaving the Navy, Whitman pursued his dream of being a pro baseball player. Then, in 1948, he decided to pursue music. He performed with multiple groups, including the Light Crust Doughboys. According to Bear Family Records, Whitman got his big break the next year, when Colonel Tom Parker, who was managing Eddy Arnold and would later manage Elvis Presley, heard him. Parker helped him land a recording contract with RCA. After 10 failed singles, RCA dropped him. However, his career was far from over. He found a regular spot on The Louisiana Hayride. He also landed a morning radio show.
Slim Whitman Finds Success
After two years of steady radio work, Slim Whitman signed with Imperial Records in 1952. That year, he found his first hit with “Love Song of the Waterfall,” which reached No. 10 on the country chart. Later that year, he scored three more top 10 hits with “Indian Love Call,” “Keep It a Secret,” and “My Heart Is Broken in Three.”
Whitman’s first No. 1 came in 1955. However, it wasn’t on the Billboard country charts. Instead, he reached the top of the UK Singles Chart with “Rose Marie.” The single spent 11 weeks at the top of the chart, setting a record that stood for 36 years. Bryan Adams broke the record in 1991 with “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You.”
Whitman continued to be more popular in the United Kingdom than in the United States. Hw was the first country singer to perform at the London Palladium. He was also a major influence on George Harrison. “Musically, the first thing I got into was this guy called Slim Whitman, who was an American country singer. Anyway, he was just a guy playing a guitar. I remember that was the first time I felt like playing the guitar,” Harrison said of Whitman’s impact on him.
Whitman Becomes a Household Name
Slim Whitman began using TV marketing to sell his albums in 1979. First, he ran a TV ad to sell All My Best, Just for You. In 1982, he sold The Best on television. He followed that with ad campaigns for Best Loved Favorites in 1989 and 20 Precious Memories in 1991. These albums brought him a new level of stardom in the United States. Notably, they helped Whitman land his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Slim Whitman’s Viral Fake Death
On his 85th birthday, in 2008, the Nashville Tennessean ran Slim Whitman’s obituary. After the report hit the newspaper’s website, it went viral. Whitman was very much alive at the time.
He died on June 19, 2013, from heart failure at 90 years old.
Featured Image by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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