Sheb Wooley

The Purple People Eater Sheb Wooley

You have a hell of a lot more fun if you're versatile,' reflects Sheb Wooley, and, if this is so, the multi-talented Wooley must have had much more than his fair share of good times during his fifty-year career. A singer and songwriter whose stylistic explorations have run the gamut from hillbilly and western swing to straight pop, rock 'n' roll and novelty. Wooley has also had a successful career as an actor and comedian. No matter what the genre, there is no denying Wooley's far-reaching talent. c He is probably best known for his novelty recordings, his 1958 #1 pop smash The Purple People Eater and the 1962 country hit That's My Pa, which was followed by a run of hits recorded under the name of his alter-ego Ben Colder that began with Don't Go Near The Eskimos. These companion CDs, 'The Purple People Eater' (BCD 16149) and 'Wild And Wooley, Big Unruly Me' (BCD 16150), jointly explore Sheb Wooley's middle period, the middle '50s through the 1960s, concentrating on novelty, pop and rock 'n' roll recordings and including 'The Purple People Eater' and 'Are You Satisfied' (BCD 16149) and lesser known, but no less interesting sides such as 'Recipe For Love' (BCD 16150), as well as several previously unissued recordings.