Shelby Fredrick Wooley (April 10, 1921 – September 16, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. 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 and 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 scout Pete Nolan in the television series Rawhide. Wooley is also believed to be the voice actor who provided the Wilhelm scream and all of the other stock sound effects for Thomas J. Valentino's Major record label during the 1940s.
Early life Wooley was born in 1921 in Erick, Oklahoma, the third son of William C. Wooley and Ora E. Wooley."The Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940," Raney Township, Greer County, Oklahoma, April 22, 1940; United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC, Digital copy of original enumeration page available on FamilySearch, an online genealogical database provided as a public service by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved June 15, 2017. Wooley claimed to be part Cherokee. He had two older brothers, Logan and Hubert, and a younger brother, William."The Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930," Raney Township, Greer County, Oklahoma, April 2, 1930. FamilySearch. Retrieved June 15, 2017. Federal census records for 1930 and 1940 identify Sheb's father only as a "farmer". Sheb learned to ride his father's horses at an early age, became a working cowboy, and later an accomplished rodeo rider.
At 19 years-old Wooley married 17-year-old Melva Miller, a cousin of future chart-topping singer, songwriter, and actor Roger Miller. Wooley became friends with Miller when he lived in Oklahoma, teaching the younger child how to play guitar chords and buying him his first fiddle. The Wooleys subsequently divorced.
When the United States entered World War II in the early 1940s, Wooley tried to enlist in the military, but was unsuccessful due to his numerous rodeo injuries. Instead, he worked in the oil industry and as a welder. In 1946, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he earned a living as a country-western musician, recording songs and traveling for three years with a band throughout the South and Southwest. In Fort Worth, he also married for the second time, to Edna Talbott Bunt, a young widow with an infant son named Gary."Gary Wayne Bunt (1943-2016)", obituary, Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas), June 11, 2016. The three of them left Texas in 1950 and moved to Hollywood, California, where Wooley hoped to establish himself as an actor or singer in film or in the rapidly expanding medium of television.
Music career At the age of 15, the musically talented Wooley formed a band called the "Plainview Melody Boys", that periodically performed on radio at station KASA in Elk City, Oklahoma.Michener, Judith (2009). "Wooley, Shelby (1921-2003)", The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, The Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved June 15, 2017. He 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 shifted to the more commercial Nashville sound.
In 1958, Wooley earned considerable fame with his hit rock-and-roll comedy single, "The Purple People Eater", using 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 number one of Billboard's Hot Country Songs 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. Rex Allen beat him to it, and scored a hit. Wooley, however, did a sequel, "Don't Go Near the Eskimos", about a boy in Alaska named Ben Colder (who had never "been colder"). It was so successful that Wooley continued using the name Ben Colder, recording a parody of the hit "Achy Breaky Heart" with "Shaky Breaky Car". In December 1963, his single "Hootenanny Hoot" became a top-10 hit in Australia; in 1967 his song "The Love-in" (1967) was recognized as an acerbic commentary on the 1960s' counterculture."Sheb Wooley — The Love in (1967)", full song presented on YouTube. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
In the late 1960s, Wooley wrote the theme song for the television series Hee Haw, and became a regular on that long-running series in the 1970s. He often appeared as the character Ben Colder, portrayed as a drunken country songwriter. Wooley also released music and performed both as himself and as Ben Colder.
Wooley's parody of the Tammy Wynette song "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." became an international hit when Billy Connolly covered it in 1975.
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.
Acting career Film
Wooley appeared in dozens of Western films from the 1950s through the 1990s. He was in Rocky Mountain (1950), and he portrayed outlaw Ben Miller in High Noon (1952) and Baxter in Terror in a Texas Town (1958). He also acted in major films, including Giant, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Silverado, and Hoosiers.
Television
Wooley's work in syndicated TV Westerns series included appearances on The Range Rider, portraying outlaw Jim Younger on Stories of the Century (1954), and five appearances on The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951-1955). He appeared in The Lone Ranger episodes “Stage to Estacado” (1953), “Wake of War" (1953), "Message to Fort Apache" (1954), "Wagontrain" and "Wanted: The Lone Ranger" (1955). He portrayed Bill Bronson on The Cisco Kid, Harry Runyon in "The Unmasking" on My Friend Flicka, and Shev Jones in "The Iron Trail" on Cheyenne. He appeared twice on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. Wooley's big break professionally came when he was cast as the drover Pete Nolan on Rawhide (1959–1965). Wooley also wrote and directed some of the episodes.
The "Wilhelm scream" Sheb Wooley is also believed to be the voice actor for the Wilhelm scream, a stock recording used by sound-effects teams in over 200 films. Wooley originally performed the scream in the 1951 adventure film Distant Drums in which he had an acting role. Wooley's widow Linda Dotson confirmed Sheb performed the scream.
Personal life Wooley was married five times, first to Melva Miller in 1940. In 1946 he married Edna Talbott Bunt in Fort Worth, Texas. His third wife was Beverly Irene Addington; the couple adopted a daughter, Chrystie Lynn, and remained together for 19 years. In 1985, he married Deanna Grughlin. Last he married his manager Linda Dotson, who already had a daughter, Shauna.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
Death Wooley was diagnosed with leukemia in 1996, which forced him to retire from public performing three years later. He died of the illness at the age of 82 at the Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 16, 2003. He was entombed in Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Awards Wooley was the recipient of over the years for his accomplishments as a singer, actor, and writer for both comedic and dramatic productions. In 1968, he received the Country Music Association's Comedian of the Year award. He also received the 1992 Songwriter of the Year and two Golden Boot Awards.
Discography Albums Year Album US Country Label 1956 Sheb Wooley — MGM 1960 Songs from the Days of Rawhide — 1962 That's My Pa and That's My Ma — 1963 Tales of How the West Was Won — Spoofing the Big Ones (as Ben Colder) — Ben Colder (as Ben Colder) — 1965 The Very Best — It's a Big Land — 1966 Big Ben Strikes Again (as Ben Colder) 17 1967 Wine Women & Song (as Ben Colder) 44 1968 The Best of Ben Colder (as Ben Colder) 44 Harper Valley P.T.A. (Later That Same Day) (as Ben Colder) — 1969 Warm and Wooley — Have One On (as Ben Colder) — 1970 Big Ben Colder Wild Again (as Ben Colder) — 1971 Live and Loaded (as Ben Colder) — 1972 Warming Up to Colder (as Ben Colder) — 1973 The Wacky World (as Ben Colder) —
Singles Year Single Chart Positions Album US Country US CAN Country CAN 1955 "Are You Satisfied?" — 95 — — singles only1958"I Found Me an Angel"———— "The Purple People Eater" — 1 — 1"The Chase"————"Santa Claus Meets the Purple People Eater"———— 1959 "Sweet Chile" — 70 — — "Luke The Spook" / "My Only Treasure" — — — — "Pygmy Love" / "Careless Hands" — — — — 1962 "That's My Pa" 1 51 — 11 That's My Pa and That's My Ma "Don't Go Near the Eskimos" (as Ben Colder) 18 62 — — Spoofing the Big Ones 1963 "Hello Wall No. 2" (as Ben Colder) 30 131 — — Ben Colder "Still No. 2" (as Ben Colder) — 98 — — "Detroit City No. 2" (as Ben Colder) — 90 — — Spoofing the Big Ones 1964 "Blue Guitar" 33 — — — The Very Best 1966 "I'll Leave the Singin' to the Bluebirds" 34 — — — single only "Almost Persuaded No. 2" (as Ben Colder) 6 58 — 53 Big Ben Strikes Again "Tonight's the Night My Angel's Halo Fell" 70 — — — single only 1968 "Tie a Tiger Down" 22 — — — Warm and Wooley "Harper Valley P.T.A. (Later That Same Day)" (as Ben Colder) 24 67 18 82 Harper Valley P.T.A. (Later That Same Day) 1969 "Little Green Apples No. 2" (as Ben Colder) 65 — — — "I Remember Loving You" 52 — — — Warm and Wooley "The One Man Band" 63 — — — single only 1970 "Big Sweet John" (as Ben Colder) — — 47 — Have One On 1971 "Fifteen Beers Ago" (as Ben Colder) 50 — — — Live and Loaded
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1950 Rocky Mountain Kay Rawlins 1951 Apache Drums Townsman Uncredited 1951 Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison Chick Fullis Uncredited 1951 Little Big Horn Quince 1951 Fort Worth Outrider Uncredited 1951 Distant Drums Pvt. Jessup Uncredited 1952 Bugles in the Afternoon Gen. George Armstrong Custer Uncredited 1952 High Noon Ben Miller 1952 Hellgate Neill Price 1952 Cattle Town Miller 1952 The Lusty Men Gambler with Buster Uncredited 1952 Toughest Man in Arizona Army Officer Uncredited 1952 Sky Full of Moon Balladeer Voice 1953 Texas Bad Man Mack 1954 The Boy from Oklahoma Pete Martin 1954 Rose Marie Corporal Uncredited 1954 Arrow in the Dust Trooper Uncredited 1954 Johnny Guitar Posseman Uncredited 1954 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Minor Role Uncredited 1955 Man Without a Star Latigo 1955 Trial Butteridge Uncredited 1955 The Second Greatest Sex Silas - Jones City Leader 1956 Giant Gabe Target 1956 The Black Whip Bill Lassater 1957 The Oklahoman Cowboy Uncredited 1957 Trooper Hook Cooter Brown 1957 Ride a Violent Mile Jonathan Long 1958 Terror in a Texas Town Baxter Uncredited 1959 Rio Bravo Cowboy (scenes deleted) 1963 Hootenanny Hoot Himself 1966 Country Boy Sheb Wooley 1967 The War Wagon Snyder 1976 The Outlaw Josey Wales Travis Cobb 1986 Silverado Cavalry Sergeant 1986 Uphill All the Way Anson Sudro 1986 Hoosiers Cletus Summers 1988 Purple People Eater Harry Skinner
References
External links
Official website [ AllMusic entry]