Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr. (born January 20, 1924), known professionally as Slim Whitman, is an American country music singer and songwriter, known for his yodeling abilities, highnotes and crystal-clear vocals.

The Pea Pickin’ Hearts would just like to say Happy Birthday!

He has sold in excess of 120 million albums in unit sales in a career spanning seven decades, with numerous successful recordings. He is consistently more popular throughout Europe, and in particular Britain, than in his native America.

His 1955 hit single “Rose Marie” held the Guinness World Record for the longest time at number 1 on the UK charts until Bryan Adams broke the record in 1991 after 36 years. In the U.S., his “Indian Love Call” (1952), and “Secret Love” (1953) reached number 2 on the Billboard country chart.

Whitman had a string of minor hits from the mid 1960s into the 1970s, and became known to a new generation of fans through TV marketing in the 1980s, and the 1996 feature film Mars Attacks!

In 2010 a new album called Twilight on the Trail was released, produced by his son Byron, and featuring the single “Back in the Saddle Again” plus many traditional western favourites that have became standards ,his son Byron also features on The single ” Ragtime Cowboy Joe”.

Enjoy this video of Slim singing Indian Love Call.

TWEET, TWEET!

Back in June, the Pea Pickin’ Hearts got a twitter account so I could rescue my personal twitter account @artistrlgibson.

However, the twitter account just for the Pea Pickin’ Hearts doesn’t have many followers compared to our facebook Likes…so I am still tweeting from my personal account.  

Please follow the Pea Pickin’ Hearts on Twitter so I can reclaim my personal twitter feed.

Make sure to follow @peapickinhearts on twitter for the latest!

Many of our friends live outside of the South and like to remind us of how different things are in other places.  We steadfastly maintain that we live in the South by choice, not necessity.  One of the many things I love about the South, aside from the food and the weather and the space, is the fine art of the euphamism.

Most people are familiar with the saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”  But most Southern women know that simply means you are just supposed to find a nice way to say the mean stuff, ha. 

Having struggled with my weight off and on most of my life, one of the euphamisms I know best is “She has such a pretty face.”  Those of you schooled in the fine art of passive agression know that statement really means “It is a shame her butt is so big.”

The Pea Pickin’ Hearts name pays homage to a much nicer euphamism made famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford, “Bless their little pea pickin’ hearts.”  It is a reference to being simple and country.  Not dumb, just simple and country.  We quickly realized that the Appalachian sound of the 1940s and 1950s which so heavily influences our song-writing style is exactly that…simple and country.

We are proud to be the Pea Pickin’ Hearts!

Follow the Pea Pickin’ Hearts by email to learn more about
our connections to the late, great Tennessee Ernie Ford!

Well, I have finally gotten around to creating a twitter account just for the Pea Pickin’ Hearts…

Follow us so I can reclaim my personal twitter feed, ha.

So make sure to follow @peapickinhearts on twitter for the latest updates.

The Pea Pickin’ Hearts have been hard at work on songs for our upcoming CD which will be available from Sounds of the Smokies.  And, I find myself sifting through notes and doodles in the moleskin that travels with me everywhere I go.  “Sky is Blue Truth” kept coming up time and time again…so clearly, it is a song waiting to get out.

The “Sky is Blue Truth” is any obvious truth like, well…the sky is blue. I am always amazed at how easily some folks are offended by the truth.  I understand that hearing the ugly truth or the painful truth is hard, but why are some folks even offended by the “Sky is Blue Truth?”

Here are a few verse lyrics from “Sky is Blue Truth”–still in progress, of course:

Your mother is a lying witch

Your daddy wants to make a switch

Your sister drove into a ditch

Why does the truth make ME the snitch?

Any thoughts on truth-telling?  Share them with me.  Is the tradition of sugar-coating the truth just a Southern form of the euphemism.  I can’t wait to hear from you.  Email me.

–Rachel