Wiley Barkdull born 31 December 1928

Wiley Barkdull (December 31, 1928 – August 29, 2014) was an American Country Singer and pianist whose  musical career is virtually inseparable from that of the brothers Rusty and Doug Kershaw. 

Barkdull was born in Forest Hill,Louisiana. His main instrument was the piano, but he may have played rhythm guitar as well, possibly at his live performances. A deep voiced Lefty Frizzell sound-alike, he performed over Crowley's KSIG alongside Jimmy Newman, Jim Toth and the Kershaws. Rusty, Doug and Wiley all started recording for legendary Crowley producer Jay (J.D.)Miller's Feature label in 1953 or 1954. Very few of these recordings were issued at the time, but most of them (plus some KSIG radio transcriptions) finally appeared on the UK’s Flyright label between 1981 and 1991. Barkdull's record for Feature was "I'll Give My Heart to You" (also later rerecorded for Hickory) which appeared in early 1955. It was the last release on the label, crediting the backing to Rusty & Doug and the Music Makers. 

After Feature was wound down, Rusty and Doug were signed by Hickory Records in Nashville and Barkdull was also signed as an artist in his own right. Wiley's deep bass voice contributes to many of Rusty and Doug's recordings and so much so that his name was credited on almost all of the Rusty & Doug sides on which he appeared as a vocalist. In some cases, these harmonies are downright spectacular ("Kaw-Liga", for instance). The Hickory recordings benefited from a first-class accompaniment by the Nashville A-team, sometimes enhanced by the fiddle of Rufus Thibodeaux. 

                                   

Barkdull's solo recordings for Hickory (8 singles altogether) are a mixture of country in the Lefty Frizzell style, western swing and rockabilly. Songs in the latter category include the great two-sider "Hey Honey"/"I Ain't Gonna Waste My Time" and "Too Many", which was covered by Ocie Smith (whose version got a UK release on London, while the original went unissued in the UK). "Too Many" (written by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant) features a great guitar groove by Hank Garland and Ray Edenton, fine percussive sounds by Buddy Harman and Lightnin' Chance and a piano solo by Floyd Cramer. 

Most of Wiley's Hickory material was written by J.D. Miller, with just one Barkdull co-writer's credit. Rusty and Doug scored five country hits between 1955 and 1961, but for Barkdull's solo recordings there was no chart success, in spite of their quality. His final Hickory release was a nice up-tempo treatment of Melvin Endsley's "Keep A-Lovin' Me Baby". After this last Hickory session Barkdull moved to Houston, and started to record for the All Star label in 1961, gaining seven releases by the time the label closed in 1964. He then made two discs for Slick Norris, a Houston and south east Texas area promoter, producer and DJ. Wiley appeared on his Skill label alongside Warren Smith and others whose careers Norris hoped to revive. 

In the 1970s it was probably inevitable that Wiley would eventually cross paths with the larger than life music entrepreneur Huey P. Meaux. Wiley cut an LP at a studio in Pasadena, Texas for Meaux's Crazy Cajun label of Conroe, Texas. This time, though Wiley was singing gospel songs and he seems to have laid out of the country scene by then. As late as 20 June 1986 the 'Baytown Sun' was report ing on the 'Baytown Family Opry' show on North Alexander, which included "a gospel show featuring Wiley and Jessie Barkdull. 

During the 1970s, 80s and 90s the Barkdulls lived on Magnolia Street in Channelview, on the eastern edge of Houston until his wife died in 2012. After which Wiley may have moved across the bay to Pasadena, Harris County, Texas where he died on 29 August 2014, aged 85. Although he'd been in Texas for fifty years, the 'Houston Chronicle' reported that he was to be buried in Lecompte, Forest Hill, Rapides, Louisiana. 

(Edited from This Is My Story & Bear Family’s And More Bears web site)