RIP Slim Whitman

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 19 Jun 2013 3:42 am

From The Florida Times Union (click here)

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Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 19 Jun 2013 5:00 am

You are kidding? I thought he died 20 years ago.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 19 Jun 2013 6:38 am

Slim didn't die 20 years ago. He just released a studio album a few years ago. In fact, a widespread, but false, rumor of his death circulated in 2008 - http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=125883

Hope it isn't true, but since this is emanating from local news sources where he and his family live in Florida, and not from Nashville (as in the '08 hoax), I suspect it is.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 19 Jun 2013 6:48 am

Yeah, I remember the 2008 episode. I got taken in by that and was working in a band backing George Hamilton IV at the time. I told George about it and he called Slim's wife to pass on his condolences and Slim answered the phone.

Morgan Scoggins · Post by **Morgan Scoggins** » 19 Jun 2013 7:47 am

I am sorry to hear of Slim's passing.I have a lot of memories of back in the 1980,s when I stayed up late, a lot later than I do now. I must have seen, a thousands times, the old familiar TV record offer to buy Slim's greatest hits. I later saw him on the Johnny Carson show and he was telling Carson about how many millions of records he sold through those old TV ads.
He was around a long time and had a lot of talent.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 19 Jun 2013 8:46 am

I've always been bewildered about Slim Whitman. Apparently he sold over 100 million records but I had absolutely never heard of him except on late night TV ads. He was like the "biggest country star you never heard of." (I confess, though, that I haven't always followed country music, but I had certainly heard of most of the "biggies"...)

Seriously, did the guy really have a legit country music career or was he just a product manufactured for TV sales?

I apologize if this question seems out of place at this particular time when condolences are in order, but I really have always wondered about this...

joe long · Post by **joe long** » 19 Jun 2013 8:54 am

Yes he did. He was one of my favorites in the 50's.

joe long · Post by **joe long** » 19 Jun 2013 8:54 am

Yes he did. He was one of my favorites in the 50's.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 19 Jun 2013 8:55 am

Jim, He was huge in Europe, especially in the UK, where he had #1 hit records. He had a couple of hits in the USA in the 1950s but he never reached superstar status here.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 19 Jun 2013 9:04 am

Ah, I see. Ok, thank you.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 19 Jun 2013 9:22 am

From the Tampa Tribune:

Tampa native Slim Whitman, the country music icon known for his signature yodel, has died at age 90.

Whitman, who had been living in Middleburg, died Wednesday morning at Orange Park Medical Center, according to reports.

Whitman was born in Tampa in 1923 and began his musical career after serving in the Navy during World War II. He went on to sell more than 120 million albums.

The Tampa Tribune described Slim Whitman as "the hillbilly singer who used to yodel on radio station WFLA and played baseball for the Plant City Berries."

He was discovered in 1948 in Tampa by Col. Tom Parker, the manager for Elvis Presley.

Whitman's "Indian Love Call" sold more than a million copies.

In 2010, Whitman released the album, "Twilight on the Trail," his first new studio release in 26 years.

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 19 Jun 2013 9:23 am

According to Wiki- I would say he did enjoy some success.

"Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr. (January 20, 1923 or 1924[1] – June 19, 2013),[2] known professionally as Slim Whitman, was an American country music and western music singer/songwriter and instrumentalist known for his yodeling abilities and his smooth high octave falsetto. He sold in excess of 120 million records"

Jim, we old guys can easily recall his hits on Rose Marie and Indian Love Call

Regards,

Craig Baker

706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

John Peay · Post by **John Peay** » 19 Jun 2013 9:54 am

Condolences to his family...

I sure enjoyed his music...I remember seeing him perform in 1980 or '81, it was after an Atlanta Chiefs soccer game (the former pro soccer team in Atlanta), in the Omni I believe. As I recall it was a free show if you attended the game, and a group of us stayed to see him. He was fabulous, I remember much of the game crowd stayed as well, and my buddies were looking at me like "how do you know these songs?"...good times...

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 19 Jun 2013 10:11 am

I saw him in Raleigh in the late fifties. He was very entertaining and humorous. On a couple of those long slides his steel player would run plumb off the end of the steel and his fellow band members would have to catch him. A good visual gag. Later, he was the butt of jokes by comedians for his ever present TV ads and his somewhat resemblance to Richard Nixon, but the guy could really sing.

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 19 Jun 2013 10:45 am

He was a phenomenon in the UK. That is where I first heard his name. I never knew why in the 70's on he was unheard of here ? I liked the stuff I heard in Europe. Anybody know why, or willing to guess?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 19 Jun 2013 11:07 am

I never knew why in the 70's on he was unheard of here ? I liked the stuff I heard in Europe. Anybody know why, or willing to guess?

He only had a couple of top 10 hits in the US, and those were in 1953-54. After that he had no big hits here. Some critics speculate that's because he didn't do "drinkin' and cheatin'" songs, and he had more of a crooning style:

From Wikipedia:

A yodeler, Whitman avoided the "down on yer luck buried in booze" songs, preferring instead to sing laid-back romantic melodies about simple life and love. Critics dubbed his style "countrypolitan," owing to its fusion of country music and a more sophisticated crooning vocal style.

Yes, he sold millions of records, mostly in Europe, and the UK in particular. He was a superstar there... big concerts, big sales, awards, etc.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 19 Jun 2013 3:08 pm

Being brought up in England I've been familiar with Slim since I was a child. I always liked his voice, his material, and his steel guitarist. A great talent.

His hits were all in the early 50's, and he was a favorite of my Dad's, so I have to admit that while I was a teenager I was much more interested in rockabilly, and I considered Slim to be from a previous generation. It wasn't until I got older that I started to appreciate him more.

He was so popular in Britain that he spawned several copyists, the most successful of whom was Karl Denver, a Scottish C&W singer who had lived in Nashville until he was deported as an illegal alien in 1959.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 19 Jun 2013 3:27 pm

He's the only other guy I ever saw besides myself who plays a Grammer guitar.

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 19 Jun 2013 4:28 pm

For a period of time,steeler,Jimmy Crawford recorded & worked w/ Slim.

billchav · Post by **billchav** » 19 Jun 2013 6:31 pm

Anybody remember the function of the [palm pedals]his steeler "HOOT" Raines used used while playing with Slim back in the early 50's. Until then I had only seen them used on standard guitars. For someone that did not sing HONKY TONK songs he could sure pack the joints in the Houston area back then.

Allen Hutchison · Post by **Allen Hutchison** » 19 Jun 2013 7:41 pm

Very sad loss & condolences to the family.
Slim was highly regarded here in Oz as well.
What a fabulous voice & use of steel.

I Remember You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH64weKPF60

Indian Love Call

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FhQxZnSqc0

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 19 Jun 2013 7:48 pm

Interesting how they blacked-out the brand name/logo of the steel guitar. I guess the company hadn't paid for the advertising, so they didn't get any! LOL.

Wally Moyers · Post by **Wally Moyers** » 19 Jun 2013 8:06 pm

Sad to hear. When I was born my Dad was playing steel with Slim.. He had some trouble with his steel player so my Dad filled in for several tours.. I played with him for a WestTexas tour about 10 years ago... It was a interesting time for sure... He told me to through more arrows. Thats what he called a chime that you would play and slide up an octave.. you can here that on a lot of his records...He was a real nice fellow.. He has a son that was on the show also...

Roy Heap · Post by **Roy Heap** » 19 Jun 2013 10:52 pm

Very sad. I have to date I think every album by slim that was released in the UK plus some imports. Like many his recordings started my love for the steel guitar.

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 20 Jun 2013 6:35 am

I've loved his music since I was a kid. I remember hearing those old tunes like "Indian Love Call", "Rose Marie", "Love Song of the Waterfall".... In later years Rush Limbaugh used Slim's version of "Una Paloma Blanca" as an intro to his updates on global warming and such. I always wondered if Slim got a royalty for that!.... Also, I remember him appearing on Nashville Now with his son who was also a singer. What ever happened to him? Most of the steel work on his old records from the fifties was single note non pedal stuff probably by Hoot Raines and was very tasteful..... JH in Va.

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RIP Slim Whitman

RIP Slim Whitman

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Slim Whitman