Jimmy Wakely was one of the last dying breeds of crooning cowpokes in filmdom following World War II. Born in Mineola, Arkansas in 1914, but raised in Depression-era Oklahoma, Jimmy started off as a farmer, but his musical talents couldn't be denied. He created the vocal trio "The Bell Boys" along with Johnny Bond and entertained in local hot spots while cutting studio recordings.
The group's big break came when they met Gene Autry while he was touring in Oklahoma, and they eventually settled in California, performing on his Melody Ranch radio program at CBS. They made their musical film debut in the Roy Rogers Republic western Saga of Death Valley in 1939.
Jimmy's group became a staple on Autry's radio show, but Jimmy left within a couple of years to focus on films and a recording contract with Decca Records. He and his group appeared in two Hopalong Cassidy films in 1941, Twilight on the Trail and Stick to Your Guns, and within the films they sang memorable songs such as Lonesome Guitar, Blue Moon on the Silver Sage, Lady O Lay, and My Kind of Country.
Jimmy would become known for perfecting the hillbilly style with such classic songs as "Cimarron (Roll On)", "I'm Sending You Red Roses", "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)", "Beautiful Brown Eyes", "Too Late", and "I'll Never Let You Go".
Over an extended period of time, Jimmy's country trio would warble for a number of top western stars in their film vehicles. Known variously during their film stays as "Jimmy Wakely and his Rough Riders", "The Jimmy Wakely Trio", "Jimmy Wakely and his Saddle Pals", and "Jimmy Wakely and His Oklahoma Boys", the popular Dick Reinhart and Scotty Harrel often completed the trio along with Wakely and Bond.
Thanks to the meteoric successes of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, the various studios were competitively grooming top country singers into film icons. "Poverty Row"-level Monogram Pictures exec Scott R. Dunlap managed to snag the slim, laidback, good-looking Jimmy as their own representative. For the next five years, the dark-haired singer would star in over two dozen oaters, his character heroes usually taking on his own name - Jimmy Wakely.
Jimmy's first Monogram vehicle was Song of the Range in 1944, and he rode off into the sunset five years later with Lawless Code in 1949. In between he smooth-sang a lot of tunes and was outfitted with a variety of different sidekicks, notably 'Lee "Lasses" White' and Dub Taylor.
Following his heyday and into the 1950s, Jimmy continued writing songs and singing on stage. He remained a sturdy name on the rodeo circuit and in country western clubs. As a recording artist, he charted a few country hits and was one of the few singers to cross over to the mainstream.
In 1952, he became the star of "The Jimmy Wakely Show" for CBS radio and briefly alternated hosting duties on ABC-TV's Five Star Jubilee in 1961 with Snooky Lanson, Carl Smith, Rex Allen, and old film pal Tex Ritter. He eventually developed his own record company called Shasta Records in the 1960s and 1970s and owned two music publishing companies. Converting part of his California homestead into a recording studio, he made commercial records for other country western artists as well.
Two of his children, Linda Lee and Johnny, showed singing talents and occasionally joined him on the performing stage. Long wed to wife Inez, who became his business manager, they had two other daughters, Carol and Deanna. Jimmy developed emphysema in later years and died in California of heart failure in 1982.
