Sheb Wooley Biography

Fast Facts

• Was given his first guitar by his father, who traded in a shotgun in exchange for it
• Developed his comedic alter ego, the drunken Ben Colder, in the late 1960s
• First major TV role was as a frontier drover in the CBS western "Rawhide․"
• Penned and performed the 1958 hit novelty song "Purple People Eater․"
• Taught Roger Miller, who would later become a famous country musician, how to play the guitar
• Supplied the voice behind the famous "Wilhelm Scream," a sound effect used in films to accentuate a dramatic event or accident
• Was turned down for military enlistment during World War II due to previous injuries sustained at rodeo events