Jimmy Wakely
Encyclopedia
James Clarence Wakeley better known as Jimmy Wakely, was an American country-Western
singer and actor, one of the last crooning cowpokes
following World War II. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, he released records, appeared in several B-Western movies with most of the major studios, appeared on radio and television and even had his own series of comic books.
His duet singles with Margaret Whiting
from 1949–51 produced a string of top seven hits, including 1949's number one hit on the US country and pop music charts, "Slippin' Around
." Wakely owned two music publishing companies in later years and performed at the Grand Ole Opry until shortly before his death.
on February 16, 1914 to Major Anderson Wakeley and Caroline (or Carolin) "Cali" Wakeley (née Burgess). His family moved to Rosedale, Oklahoma
by 1920. As a teenager, he changed James to Jimmy and his last name to Wakely, dropping the second "e".
in 1937, Wakely formed The Bell Boys, a country Western singing group named after their Bell Clothing sponsor. The group performed locally, made some recordings, and did frequent radio broadcasts over Oklahoma City's WKY
. Johnny Bond
, Dick Reinhart, Scotty Harrell and Jack Cheney were members of the Bell Boys and later groups. Over time, Wakely's groups were known as The Jimmy Wakely Trio, Jimmy Wakely and His Saddle Pals, Jimmy Wakely Trio and James Wakely.
During a tour through Oklahoma, Western movie star Gene Autry
invited Wakely to come to California. Autry felt the group might be a good addition to his new Melody Ranch radio show which debuted on CBS
in January 1940. The Wakely Trio joined the show in mid-1940. He stayed for a couple of years, then left because of movie commitments and a recording contract with Decca Records that ran from 1941–1942 through 1947. Johnny Bond stayed with the show for most of its run (the show left the air in 1956).
, December 13, 1935. They had four children: Deanna, Carol, Linda and son Johnny. Their marriage lasted until his death in 1982.
Western, Saga of Death Valley. In the 1940s, Wakely groups provided songs and musical support for several B-western movies, including appearances with:
Wakely made only one film with Autry, Heart of the Rio Grande, at Republic in 1942. He was sometimes referred to as a low-budget Autry in films. His response was, "Everybody reminds somebody of someone else until they are somebody. And I had rather be compared to Gene Autry than anyone else. Through the grace of God and Gene Autry, I got a career." He appeared in 28 Westerns at Monogram between 1944 and 1949.
Wakely also appeared in some non-Westerns, including I'm from Arkansas in 1944, a showcase for country and hillbilly performers who bring their comedy, tunes and yodeling to Pitchfork, Arkansas.
and Karen Chandler
, and for the Christmas song "Silver Bells". He had a number one country hit with "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)
", a song originally released by Western singer Eddie Dean
.
published 18 issues from Sept/Oct 1949–July/Aug 1952, billing him as "HOLLYWOOD'S SENSATIONAL COWBOY STAR!"
.
He also had one of the last live network radio programs at the NBC radio studios at the corner of Sunset and Vine in Hollywood, California in 1958. Excerpts of the program appear on Wakely's albums and CDs.
, Merle Travis
, Eddie Dean, Tex Ritter
and Rex Allen
. For his recording work, Wakely has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on Vine Street.
and National Barn Dance
. His nightclub act visited Las Vegas
, Reno
and other venues. He did a Christmas USO Tour with Bob Hope
. He made a few recordings on the Coral
, Decca/Vocalion and Dot
labels. He also made appearances at Western film nostalgia conventions and continued personal appearances and stage shows, often with his daughter Linda and son Johnny in the act.
on September 23, 1982. He and his wife, who died in 1997, are interred next to each other in the Court of Remembrance at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
, Los Angeles, California
.
in 1971 and the Western Music Association Hall of Fame
in 1991.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer and actor, one of the last crooning cowpokes
Singing cowboy
A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films, popularized by many of the B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s...
following World War II. During the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, he released records, appeared in several B-Western movies with most of the major studios, appeared on radio and television and even had his own series of comic books.
His duet singles with Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting was a singer of American popular music and country music who first made her reputation during the 1940s and 1950s.-Youth:...
from 1949–51 produced a string of top seven hits, including 1949's number one hit on the US country and pop music charts, "Slippin' Around
Slippin' Around
"Slippin' Around" is a song written and recorded by Floyd Tillman in 1949. The most popular recording was a cover version by Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely which reached number one on the Retail Folk Best Sellers chart...
." Wakely owned two music publishing companies in later years and performed at the Grand Ole Opry until shortly before his death.
Early years
James Clarence Wakeley was born in Mineola, Howard County, ArkansasHoward County, Arkansas
Howard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 13,789. The county seat is Nashville. Howard County is Arkansas's 74th county, formed on April 17, 1873, and named for James Howard, a state senator...
on February 16, 1914 to Major Anderson Wakeley and Caroline (or Carolin) "Cali" Wakeley (née Burgess). His family moved to Rosedale, Oklahoma
Rosedale, Oklahoma
Rosedale is a town in McClain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 66 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rosedale is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
by 1920. As a teenager, he changed James to Jimmy and his last name to Wakely, dropping the second "e".
Country Western musician
In Oklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
in 1937, Wakely formed The Bell Boys, a country Western singing group named after their Bell Clothing sponsor. The group performed locally, made some recordings, and did frequent radio broadcasts over Oklahoma City's WKY
WKY
WKY is a radio station located in Oklahoma City and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.WKY is the oldest radio station in Oklahoma, the 28th-oldest in the nation and the third-oldest west of the Mississippi River...
. Johnny Bond
Johnny Bond
Cyrus Whitfield Bond , known professionally as Johnny Bond, was a popular American country music entertainer of the 1940s through the 1960s.-Biography:...
, Dick Reinhart, Scotty Harrell and Jack Cheney were members of the Bell Boys and later groups. Over time, Wakely's groups were known as The Jimmy Wakely Trio, Jimmy Wakely and His Saddle Pals, Jimmy Wakely Trio and James Wakely.
During a tour through Oklahoma, Western movie star Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
invited Wakely to come to California. Autry felt the group might be a good addition to his new Melody Ranch radio show which debuted on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in January 1940. The Wakely Trio joined the show in mid-1940. He stayed for a couple of years, then left because of movie commitments and a recording contract with Decca Records that ran from 1941–1942 through 1947. Johnny Bond stayed with the show for most of its run (the show left the air in 1956).
Personal life
Wakely married Dora Inez Miser on Friday the 13thFriday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
, December 13, 1935. They had four children: Deanna, Carol, Linda and son Johnny. Their marriage lasted until his death in 1982.
Western movie actor
In 1939, Wakely made his screen debut (with the Jimmy Wakely Trio) in a Roy RogersRoy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
Western, Saga of Death Valley. In the 1940s, Wakely groups provided songs and musical support for several B-western movies, including appearances with:
- the Range Busters at Monogram PicturesMonogram PicturesMonogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
- Don "Red" Barry at Republic PicturesRepublic PicturesRepublic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
- Johnny Mack BrownJohnny Mack BrownJohnny Mack Brown was an All-American college football player and film actor originally billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career.-Early life:...
and Tex RitterTex RitterWoodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
at Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire... - Charles StarrettCharles StarrettCharles Starrett was an American actor best known for his starring role in the Durango Kid Columbia Pictures western series. He was born in Athol, Massachusetts.-Career:...
at Columbia PicturesColumbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies... - Hopalong CassidyWilliam Boyd (actor)William Lawrence Boyd was an American film actor best known for portraying Hopalong Cassidy.-Biography:...
at Paramount PicturesParamount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
Wakely made only one film with Autry, Heart of the Rio Grande, at Republic in 1942. He was sometimes referred to as a low-budget Autry in films. His response was, "Everybody reminds somebody of someone else until they are somebody. And I had rather be compared to Gene Autry than anyone else. Through the grace of God and Gene Autry, I got a career." He appeared in 28 Westerns at Monogram between 1944 and 1949.
Wakely also appeared in some non-Westerns, including I'm from Arkansas in 1944, a showcase for country and hillbilly performers who bring their comedy, tunes and yodeling to Pitchfork, Arkansas.
Recording career
About 1941–1942, Decca gave Wakeley a recording contract that ran until 1947. After leaving films, he continued to record, switching to the Columbia label. Though most of his songs were country Western, some crossed over to the pop charts, including collaborations with singer Margaret WhitingMargaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting was a singer of American popular music and country music who first made her reputation during the 1940s and 1950s.-Youth:...
and Karen Chandler
Karen Chandler
Eva Nadauld , known professionally as Karen Chandler, was an American singer of popular music during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, best known for her 1952 hit, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me".-Biography:...
, and for the Christmas song "Silver Bells". He had a number one country hit with "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)
"One Has My Name is a 1948 song by singing cowboy Eddie Dean, his wife Lorene "Dearest" Dean, and Hollywood songwriter Hal Blair. The song was first recorded by Jimmy Wakely and was his third release on the Folk Best Seller charts and his first number one...
", a song originally released by Western singer Eddie Dean
Eddie Dean (singer)
Eddie Dean was an American western singer and actor whom Roy Rogers and Gene Autry termed the best cowboy singer of all time. Dean was best known for "I Dreamed Of A Hill-Billy Heaven" , which became an even greater hit in 1961 for Tex Ritter....
.
Comic books
Like other Western film stars of the era, Wakely had his own comic book series. DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
published 18 issues from Sept/Oct 1949–July/Aug 1952, billing him as "HOLLYWOOD'S SENSATIONAL COWBOY STAR!"
Radio and television appearances
In addition to Autry's Melody Ranch, Wakely had his own CBS Radio show and co-hosted other programs. He also made several appearances on television variety shows; and in 1961 he was one of five rotating hosts on the NBC-TV program Five Star JubileeFive Star Jubilee
Five Star Jubilee was an American country music variety show carried by NBC-TV from March 17–September 22, 1961. The live program, a spin-off of ABC-TV's Jubilee USA, was the first network color television series to originate outside New York City or Hollywood.From March 17 to May 5, the...
.
He also had one of the last live network radio programs at the NBC radio studios at the corner of Sunset and Vine in Hollywood, California in 1958. Excerpts of the program appear on Wakely's albums and CDs.
Recording company
In the 1960s and 1970s, Wakely developed Shasta Records and owned two music publishing companies. He converted part of his California ranch into a recording studio, producing recordings for himself as well as for other country Western performers, including Tex WilliamsTex Williams
Sollie Paul Williams , known professionally as Tex Williams, was an American Western swing musician from Ramsey, Illinois....
, Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
, Eddie Dean, Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
and Rex Allen
Rex Allen
Rex Elvie Allen was an American film actor, singer and songwriter, known as the Arizona Cowboy, particularly known as the narrator in many Disney nature and Western film productions. For contributions to the recording industry, Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Family...
. For his recording work, Wakely has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on Vine Street.
Later years
In his later years, Wakely performed at the Grand Ole OpryGrand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
and National Barn Dance
National Barn Dance
National Barn Dance, broadcast by WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois starting in 1924, was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor of the Grand Ole Opry...
. His nightclub act visited Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
and other venues. He did a Christmas USO Tour with Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
. He made a few recordings on the Coral
Coral Records
Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....
, Decca/Vocalion and Dot
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
labels. He also made appearances at Western film nostalgia conventions and continued personal appearances and stage shows, often with his daughter Linda and son Johnny in the act.
Death
After contracting emphysema, Wakely died of heart failure at Mission Hills, CaliforniaMission Hills, California
Mission Hills is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, a short distance north of Lompoc on Highway 1. The population was 3,576 at the 2010 census, up from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
on September 23, 1982. He and his wife, who died in 1997, are interred next to each other in the Court of Remembrance at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Awards and honors
Wakely was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of FameNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with music community in the city of...
in 1971 and the Western Music Association Hall of Fame
Western Music Association Hall of Fame
The Western Music Association Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Western Music Association. Inductees are those individuals deemed important to the traditional and contemporary music of the American West and the American Cowboy.-1989-1999:1989*Rex Allen...
in 1991.
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Songs of the West | Capitol |
| Christmas On the Range | ||
| 1956 | Santa Fe Trail | Decca |
| 1957 | Enter and Rest and Pray | |
| 1959 | A Cowboy Serenade | Tops |
| Country Million Sellers | Shasta | |
| Merry Christmas | ||
| 1960 | Jimmy Wakely Sings | |
| 1966 | Slippin' Around | Dot |
| Christmas with Jimmy Wakely | ||
| 1967 | I'll Never Slip Around Again | Hilltop |
| 1969 | Heartaches | Decca |
| Here's Jimmy Wakely | Vocalion | |
| 1970 | Big Country Songs | |
| Now and Then | Decca |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
||
| 1943 | "There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" | ||
| "Standing Outside of Heaven" | |||
| 1944 | "I'm Sending You Red Roses" | 2 | |
| 1946 | "Somebody's Rose" | ||
| "Everyone Knew It But Me" | |||
| "One Little Teardrop Too Late" | |||
| 1948 | "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" | 9 | |
| "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) "One Has My Name is a 1948 song by singing cowboy Eddie Dean, his wife Lorene "Dearest" Dean, and Hollywood songwriter Hal Blair. The song was first recorded by Jimmy Wakely and was his third release on the Folk Best Seller charts and his first number one... " |
1 | 10 | |
| "I Love You So Much It Hurts I Love You So Much It Hurts "I Love You So Much It Hurts" is a song written and recorded by Floyd Tillman in 1948. His version reached number six on the Folk Best Seller charts and spent a total of nineteen weeks on the chart.-Notable cover versions:... " |
1 | 21 | |
| "Mine All Mine" | 8 | ||
| 1949 | "Forever More" | 10 | |
| "Till the End of the World" | 9 | ||
| "I Wish I Had a Nickel" | 4 | ||
| "Somebdy You'll Call My Name" | 10 | ||
| "Tellin' My Troubles to My Old Guitar" | 14 | ||
| 1950 | "Peter Cottontail Peter Cottontail (song) "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" is a popular Easter song composed in 1950 by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. Due to immense popularity of Gene Autry's Christmas songs Here Comes Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer that Nelson and Rollins had written, the duo asked Autry to record it... " |
7 | 26 |
| "Mona Lisa Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole song) "Mona Lisa" is a song written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the Paramount Pictures film Captain Carey, U.S.A. . It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for 1950. The arrangement was by Nelson Riddle and the orchestral backing was played by Les Baxter and his Orchestra... " |
10 |
Collaborations
| Year | Single | Artist | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1949 | "Slippin' Around Slippin' Around "Slippin' Around" is a song written and recorded by Floyd Tillman in 1949. The most popular recording was a cover version by Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely which reached number one on the Retail Folk Best Sellers chart... " |
Margaret Whiting Margaret Whiting Margaret Whiting was a singer of American popular music and country music who first made her reputation during the 1940s and 1950s.-Youth:... |
1 | 1 |
| "Wedding Bells" | 6 | 30 | ||
| "I'll Never Slip Around Again" | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1950 | "Broken Down Merry-Go-Round" | 2 | 12 | |
| "The Gods Were Angry with Me" | 3 | 17 | ||
| "Let's Go to Church (Next Sunday Morning)" | 2 | 13 | ||
| "A Bushel and a Peck A Bushel and a Peck "A Bushel and a Peck" is a popular song written by Frank Loesser and published in 1950. The song was introduced in the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls, which opened at the 46th Street Theater on November 24, 1950. It was performed on stage by Vivian Blaine, who later reprised her role as Miss... " |
6 | 6 | ||
| 1951 | "My Heart Cries for You My Heart Cries for You "My Heart Cries for You" is a popular song, adapted by Carl Sigman and Percy Faith from an 18th century French melody.The music is from an old French song attributed to Marie Antoinette " La jardinière du Roi"... " |
Les Baxter Les Baxter Les Baxter was an American musician and composer.Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer... |
7 | 12 |
| "Beautiful Brown Eyes" | 5 | 12 | ||
| "When You and I Were Young Maggie Blues When You and I Were Young, Maggie When You and I Were Young, Maggie is a famous folk song, popular song and standard. Though Springtown, Tennessee, has a small monument outside an old mill claiming the song was written by a local George Johnson, in 1820, for his Maggie, the truth is that its lyrics were written as a poem by the... " |
Margaret Whiting | 7 | 20 | |
| "I Don't Want to Be Free" | 5 |
Radio
- The Jimmy Wakely Show (1952–1958)
- Melody Ranch (1940–1942)
- CBS Hollywood Barn Dance (1945–1947)
Television
Wakely appeared as himself on several TV shows including:- The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950)
- Toast of the Town (1951)
- Ozark JubileeOzark JubileeOzark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
(ABC, 1956–58, 60) - Country Hoedown (late 1950s, syndicated) sponsored by US Navy Recruiting
- Five Star JubileeFive Star JubileeFive Star Jubilee was an American country music variety show carried by NBC-TV from March 17–September 22, 1961. The live program, a spin-off of ABC-TV's Jubilee USA, was the first network color television series to originate outside New York City or Hollywood.From March 17 to May 5, the...
(NBC, 1961) - Here's Hollywood (1961)