William Toliver Carlisle (December 19, 1908–March 17, 2003) was an American country music singer, songwriter, comedian and guitarist popular in the late 1940s and 1950s but who influenced the genre for more than 50 years. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Bill Carlisle was born in Wakefield, Kentucky southeast of Louisville. He performed in the 1920s with his older brother, Cliff Carlisle, on radio stations WLAP-AM in Lexington, Kentucky and WNOX-AM in Knoxville, Tennessee. His first solo single and hit was the 1933 recording of "Rattlesnake Daddy," released on ARC Records. That year he formed the Carlisle Brothers with Cliff, and in 1938 they signed with Decca Records and continued performing on Kentucky country radio programs. He created an alter ego for the WNOX's Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round and Tennessee Barn Dance shows called Hot Shot Elmer, a bumbling buffoon in costume who would "interrupt" Carlisle's own performances. His leaps on stage won him the moniker "Jumpin' Bill."
His children became members of the Carlisles in the 1960s; his last hit was "What Kind of Deal Is This", released in 1965. Always famed for his energetic stage act, which would see Billy doing the splits while singing, the nickname ‘Bounding’ or ‘Jumping’ Billy Carlisle were well earned. The act would continue thus through to the 90′s when Billy slowed down on personal appearances, although he would occasionally appear on stage, complete with zimmer frame, where he would perform a couple of songs holding on to the frame, before throwing it over his shoulder and marching off stage to rapturous applause.
After his fame receded, he continued as a regular at the Opry, appearing less than two weeks before his death. Billy died, aged 94 on March 17th, 2003 following a stroke.
Carlisle was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in September 2002.
(Info mainly Wikipedia)
Here's Bill Carlisle singing "Too Old To Cut the Mustard" on the Porter Wagoner Show
2 comments:
Go here for 20 mp3's of The Carlisles
https://archive.org/details/TheCarlisles-01-20
For 40 mp3's of Bill Carlisle go here:
https://archive.org/details/BillCarlisle-01-60
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