Country Singer, Actor. Born in Erick, Oklahoma, as a teenager he worked as a rodeo rider and then formed his own band. In the mid-1940s, he performed on radio stations WLAC and WSM in Nashville, Tennessee, and subsequently had his own show on the Calumet Radio Network. He signed to the Bullet Records Label in 1946, moving in 1948 to MGM Records where he remained until 1973. Wooley began acting in movies in 1950, appearing first in "Rocky Mountain" with Errol Flynn. In 1952, he played killer 'Ben Miller' in the Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly classic western, "High Noon." In all he acted in more than 60 films, among them "Giant" (1956), with James Dean and "Hoosiers" (1986), with Gene Hackman. On television, he played the role of 'Pete Nolan' in the popular "Rawhide" series from 1959 to 1966. As a recording artist, Wooley had his first success on the pop charts. His 'Are You Satisfied?' appeared in 1955, reaching only to the No. 95 spot. In 1958 he released his most famous hit the novelty tune, "The Purple People Eater." The song went No. 1 on the pop charts and stayed there for six weeks. "That's My Pa," another novelty effort in 1962, was his first country hit. It also reached No. 1. As Ben Colder, Wooley scored six country and five pop hits with such parodies as 'Don't Go Near the Eskimos' 'Still No. 2,' 'Almost Persuaded No. 2,' 'Detroit City No. 2' and 'Harper Valley P.T.A."'His last charted country song came in 1971 with 'Fifteen Beers Ago,' a sendup of Conway Twitty's 'Fifteen Years Ago.' Wooley also wrote the theme song for the Hee Haw TV series. In 1968, the Country Music Association honored him with its comedian of the year award. On October 9, 2002, Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee saluted Wooley as an 'American treasure' by reading a catalog of his achievements into the Congressional Record. Wooley's recordings in all include, 'Purple People Eater,' 'That's My Pa,' 'Detroit City,' Runnin' Bear,' 'Don't Go Near The Eskimos,' 'Harper Valley P.T.A.,' 'Little Green Apples,' '10 Little Bottles,' '15 Beers Ago,' 'Almost Persuaded,' 'Hello Walls,' 'Green, Green Grass Of Home,' 'Sunday Morning Fallin' Down,' 'Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms,' 'Folsom Prison Blues,' 'Little Brown Shack Out Back,' 'D-I-V-O-R-C-E,' 'Easy Lovin,' 'Help Me Face It Through The Night,' 'Ruby,' and 'The Games People Play.'

Country Singer, Actor. Born in Erick, Oklahoma, as a teenager he worked as a rodeo rider and then formed his own band. In the mid-1940s, he performed on radio stations WLAC and WSM in Nashville, Tennessee, and subsequently had his own show on the Calumet Radio Network. He signed to the Bullet Records Label in 1946, moving in 1948 to MGM Records where he remained until 1973. Wooley began acting in movies in 1950, appearing first in "Rocky Mountain" with Errol Flynn. In 1952, he played killer 'Ben Miller' in the Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly classic western, "High Noon." In all he acted in more than 60 films, among them "Giant" (1956), with James Dean and "Hoosiers" (1986), with Gene Hackman. On television, he played the role of 'Pete Nolan' in the popular "Rawhide" series from 1959 to 1966. As a recording artist, Wooley had his first success on the pop charts. His 'Are You Satisfied?' appeared in 1955, reaching only to the No. 95 spot. In 1958 he released his most famous hit the novelty tune, "The Purple People Eater." The song went No. 1 on the pop charts and stayed there for six weeks. "That's My Pa," another novelty effort in 1962, was his first country hit. It also reached No. 1. As Ben Colder, Wooley scored six country and five pop hits with such parodies as 'Don't Go Near the Eskimos' 'Still No. 2,' 'Almost Persuaded No. 2,' 'Detroit City No. 2' and 'Harper Valley P.T.A."'His last charted country song came in 1971 with 'Fifteen Beers Ago,' a sendup of Conway Twitty's 'Fifteen Years Ago.' Wooley also wrote the theme song for the Hee Haw TV series. In 1968, the Country Music Association honored him with its comedian of the year award. On October 9, 2002, Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee saluted Wooley as an 'American treasure' by reading a catalog of his achievements into the Congressional Record. Wooley's recordings in all include, 'Purple People Eater,' 'That's My Pa,' 'Detroit City,' Runnin' Bear,' 'Don't Go Near The Eskimos,' 'Harper Valley P.T.A.,' 'Little Green Apples,' '10 Little Bottles,' '15 Beers Ago,' 'Almost Persuaded,' 'Hello Walls,' 'Green, Green Grass Of Home,' 'Sunday Morning Fallin' Down,' 'Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms,' 'Folsom Prison Blues,' 'Little Brown Shack Out Back,' 'D-I-V-O-R-C-E,' 'Easy Lovin,' 'Help Me Face It Through The Night,' 'Ruby,' and 'The Games People Play.'

Bio by: Peterborough K