44 Years Ago Today, Country Music Said Goodbye to One of Its Last Surviving “Singing Cowboys” Turned Comic Book Star

On this day (September 23) in 1982, Jimmy Wakely died at age 68 of heart failure in Mission Hills, California. One of the leading “singing cowboys” of the 1940s and 1950s, he kicked off his decades-long career on an Oklahoma-based radio station before heading to Hollywood. Carving out a niche at the intersection of film and country music, Wakely appeared in multiple B-list Western movies alongside Gene Autry and other “singing cowboys”. Today, we’re taking a trip through his life and career.

How Gene Autry Helped Jimmy Wakely Get His Start

Born James Clarence Wakeley on February 16, 1914, in Arkansas, the future country star grew up mostly in Rosedale, Oklahoma. As a teenager, he dropped the second “e” from his surname.

In 1937, he formed the Jimmy Wakely Trio with Dick Reinhardt and Johnny Bond. Gaining a following and a regular gig on Oklahoma City radio, they met Gene Autrey while the “Back in the Saddle Again” crooner toured their home state in 1940.

Impressed, Autrey invited the trio to come to California, where they soon became regulars on his new Melody Ranch show. Wakely only remained on the show for a couple of years, scoring a recording contract with Decca Records shortly after his departure.

Finding His Niche

Jimmy Wakely’s first country hit came with a 1943 cover of Elton Britt’s wartime anthem “There’s a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere.”

The following year, Wakely would secure a contract with Monogram Pictures, Republic’s major competitor among B-movie studios at the time. He would go on to appear in many Western films including Song of the Range (1944), West of the Alamo (1946), Six Gun Serenade (1947), Oklahoma Blues (1948), and Gunrunner (1949). 

Before long, Wakely had gained a reputation as “a low-budget Gene Autry.” But if that was meant in a derogatory manner, the singing cowboy refused to see it that way.

“Everybody reminds somebody of someone else until they are somebody. And I had rather be compared to Gene Autry than anyone else,” Wakely once remarked. “Through the grace of God and Gene Autry, I got a career.”

Soon signing with Capitol Records, Wakely enjoyed a string of country and crossover hits in the 1940s. His two solo number-one hits include “One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)” and “I Love You So Much It Hurts”.

Wakely earned his third chart-topper with the Margaret Whiting duet “Slippin’ Around”, which spent 17 weeks at number one on the U.S. country chart.

It was the first of many top 10 hits for the duo, with others being “I’ll Never Slip Around Again”, “Broken Down Merry-Go-Round”, and “A Bushel and a Peck”.

Later Years

Jimmy Wakely also starred in his own 18-issue comic book series as “Hollywood’s Sensational Cowboy Star!”

[RELATED: Born on This Day in 1914, the Singing Cowboy Turned Movie and Comic Book Star Who Penned Songs Recorded by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Ray Price]

He hosted his own CBS Radio show and TV show before developing Shasta Records. Converting part of his California ranch into a recording studio, he produced song by Tex Williams, Merle Travis, Eddie Dean, Tex Ritter and Rex Allen.

Wakely remained a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry until shortly before his death.

Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images