Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr., known professionally as Slim Whitman, was born on January 20, 1923, in Tampa, Florida. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and initially aspired to be a boxer or professional baseball player. After returning from the war, he worked odd jobs while developing his musical career. Whitman's first big break came when talent manager "Colonel" Tom Parker heard him singing on the radio and offered to represent him. He signed with RCA Records in 1948 and released his debut single "I'm Casting My Lasso Towards the Sky" complete with yodel. Whitman's career spanned over seven decades, during which he released more than 100 albums and around 500 recorded songs. His early success included the hit single "Love Song of the Waterfall" in the early 1950s, which reached the country music top 10. He followed this with "Indian Love Call", which peaked at number 2 on the country charts and appeared in the US pop chart's top ten. In 1956, he became the first-ever country music singer to perform at the London Palladium. Whitman achieved significant success in the UK, where his version of "Rose-Marie" reached Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart for eleven weeks in 1955, setting a record that lasted for 36 years. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Whitman continued to release a steady stream of albums and singles. Notable works from this period include Just Call Me Lonesome, Forever, and I'm A Lonely Wanderer. His unique style, which blended country music with a more sophisticated crooning vocal style, earned him the nickname "countrypolitan." He was known for his yodeling abilities and his use of falsetto. Some of his most popular songs include "Tumbling Tumbleweeds", "Singing Hills", and "The Cattle Call". In the mid-1970s, Whitman experienced a resurgence in popularity in the UK. His compilation album The Very Best of Slim Whitman was Number 1 for six weeks, staying 17 weeks on the chart. Throughout his career, Whitman toured extensively and collaborated with various artists, including Elvis Presley. He also released several Christmas-themed albums, including Christmas With Slim Whitman. Whitman passed away on June 19, 2013, leaving behind a prolific body of work that included country music, contemporary gospel, Broadway show tunes, love songs, and standards.
