Sheb Wooley
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Biography
Sheb Wooley â born Shelby Wooley in Erick, Oklahoma on April 10, 1921 â was a singer, songwriter, and actor best known for his 1958 rock and roll novelty hit âThe Purple People Eater.â In his younger years, he lived on a farm and became a rodeo rider as well as a musician. He formed his first band at the age of 15 and taught a young Roger Miller â his cousin through marriage â how to play guitar. Sheb Wooley briefly worked in the oil industry before beginning his recording career in 1945 and moving to Ft. Worth, Texas a year later to earn a living as a country and western musician. He eventually relocated to Hollywood, California in 1950 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Incorporating many styles into his music - including pop, country swing, and rock and roll - he issued his debut album, Sheb Wooley, in 1956, although it wasnât a big commercial success. Inspired by David Sevilleâs novelty single âWitch Doctorâ (1958) â the first song to feature The Chipmunks â Sheb Wooley wrote and recorded âThe Purple People Eater,â which became a massive hit and reached the number 1 spot in the US and Canada. The song went on to become one of the most memorable and beloved rock novelty hits of all time. However, Sheb Wooley returned to his country music roots with further singles including 1962âs âThatâs My Pa,â which reached number 1 on Billboardâs Country Singles chart. His Top 20 single âDonât Go Near the Eskimosâ (1962) was the first release to feature his pseudonym Ben Colder, which he would continue to use sporadically for the next decade. While he continued to land many Top 40 Country and novelty singles â including âHello Wall No. 2â (1963), âBlue Guitarâ (1964), âTie a Tiger Downâ (1968), and âHarper Valley P.T.A. (Later That Same Day)â (1968) â he was never able to achieve the same chart success that he had achieved with âThe Purple People Eater.â Adjacent to his music career, Sheb Wooley was a busy actor and appeared in many Western-themed films and TV series (including Rawhide). He is also acknowledged for being the originator of the âWilhelm Scream,â a sound effect that has been used in hundreds of movies since he recorded it in 1953. Sheb Wooley also appeared as a regular on the long-running country music TV series Hee Haw and wrote the showâs theme song. Sheb Wooley died from leukemia on September 16, 2003, at the age of 82.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Walkin' Guitar
- Hyoom
- I Belong
- I Can't Believe You're Mine
- I Found Me An Angel
- Wild And Wooley, Big Unruly Me
- I Walk The Line No. 2
- You Can Do It
- Hello Walls by Sheb Wooley
- Josie (Brown)
- The Purple People Eater
- Let The Big Wind Blow
- Oklahoma Honky Tonk Gal
- Devil Woman by Sheb Wooley
- Don't Take Your Guns to Town by Sheb Wooley
- Ode To The Little Brown Schack Out Back
- Ruby Please Bring Your Love to Town
- Purple People Eater
- A Little Bitty Tear by Sheb Wooley
- Luke the Spook
- Almost Persuaded #2
- Little Green Apples #2
- Shaky Breaky Car
- Easy Loving #2
