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Collection 1946-62 on CD

Sheb Wooley was a cowboy-styled country singer and character actor in western movies and TV series, who is best-known for his unique landmark No. 1 novelty rock 'n' roll and pop hit "Purple People Eater" from 1958. It was such a distinctive and memorable record that it made an impact on people who had no interest in pop and entered the annals of the greatest novelty hits in pop history. Born in 1921, he started making country records in the late 1940s, often in a distinctive humorous style, and made his first movie appearances in the early '50s, including a role in the 1952 classic "High Noon" - his biggest screen success came after the success of "Purple People Eater" when he was cast as Pete Nolan in the western series "Rawhide". His early music was characterised by hillbilly and western swing styles, but he readily embraced rockabilly and rock 'n' roll styles as the market changed in the 1950s. This excellent-value 60-track 2-CD collection comprises selected A and B sides of his singles, from his recording debut in 1946 on the Bullet and Blue Bonnet labels and his career on the MGM label through to 1962. "The Purple People Eater" is naturally the centrepiece, but the set also includes other chart entries, notably his 1961 country No. 1 "That's My Pa", and another off-the-wall novelty "Don't Go Near The Eskimos" in his TV guise of Ben Colder. It's an highly entertaining and varied collection of excellent country and country/pop performances, often with a humorous novelty twist, and underlining what a versatile and unusual talent he was.