The Wilburn Brothers were a popular country music act from the 1950s to the 1970s, and the duo consisted of brothers Doyle and Teddy Wilburn. Encouraged by their father, they began their professional music career performing as the Wilburn Family on a street corner in Thayer, Missouri, on Christmas Eve 1937, in the hopes of getting some money for their poor and starving family. Soon the children were spending six months of each year in a one-room schoolhouse and the other six touring radio stations, school auditoriums, and churches throughout the southern United States. They were brought to the Grand Ole Opry by Roy Acuff in the 1940s, but due to child labor laws the Wilburns were forced to leave the Grand Ole Opry after only 6 months. They continued to travel and were regulars on the similar Louisiana Hayride program from 1948 to 1951.
After the family act disbanded they continued on as The Wilburn Brothers, and scored their first major hit with “Sparkling Brown Eyes,” a collaboration with Webb Pierce that spent 18 weeks on the charts, peaking at number four in mid-1954. They were also uncredited backing vocalists on Pierce’s biggest hit, “In the Jailhouse Now,” and even appeared on television’s The Arthur Godfrey Talent Show and American Bandstand.
The Wilburn Brothers had a long running syndicated television show that ran from 1963 to 1974 and produced 354 half hour episodes. Here is the opening from one of their TV shows from 1963:
During the late 1950s, the Wilburns teamed with steel guitarist Don Helms to found the Wil-Helm Talent Agency. They were instrumental in launching the careers of many country music artists, most notably Loretta Lynn whom they signed to their music publishing company at the beginning of her career.
In 1982, Doyle died of cancer and Teddy mounted a solo career, remaining a member of the Grand Ole Opry until his death in 2003.
In December of 1969, The Wilburn Brothers released a Christmas record with “Tag Along,” and “Gift Of The Blues” on Decca records. “Tag Along” is the story of Santa’s puppy, and how he saved Santa Claus from getting robbed one Christmas Eve, complete with annoying puppy barking noises throughout the record.
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thanks for sharing all of these songs