Joe Harry Dowell, known professionally as Joe Dowell, was born on 23 January 1940 in Bloomington, Indiana. He picked up the guitar and began writing songs at 13, marking his first performance singing "Unchained Melody" while in ninth grade. His breakthrough came when he recorded "Wooden Heart" (Muss i denn), a song adapted from a German folk tune made famous by Elvis Presley. His version of "Wooden Heart" reached number one on the Billboard charts in 1961 under Mercury Records. It also peaked at number two in Germany. His debut album Wooden Heart followed shortly after his hit single, and his second album, Joe Dowell Sings the German American Hits, included songs such as "Lili Marleen". After leaving Smash Records in 1963, he continued working as a voice-over artist for various US banks and financial institutions until his death on 4 February 2016.
