Shelby F. "Sheb" Wooley (April 10, 1921 – September 16, 2003) was a charact… Read Full Bio ↴Shelby F. "Sheb" Wooley (April 10, 1921 – September 16, 2003) was a character actor and singer, best known for his 1958 novelty hit "Purple People Eater".
Wooley was born in Erick, Oklahoma and grew up on a farm. He learned how to ride horses at a young age, and was working cowboy and rodeo rider. He also played in a country-western band. During WWII, Wooley was turned down for service because of his rodeo injuries. He worked in the oil industry and as a welder. In 1946, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas and became a country and western musician.
Wooley appeared in dozens of western films from the 1950s through 1970s, most notably High Noon. He also appeared in The Outlaw Josey Wales and Giant. He also co-starred as Pete in the TV Western Rawhide.
In the late 1950s, he embarked on a recording career, and recorded the song that made him famous. Wooley followed up "People Eater" with a series of lesser-known novelty hits. Wooley also wrote the theme song for the long-running television show "Hee Haw".
He was a regular on Hee Haw as the drunken country songwriter Ben Colder. The Colder persona became popular and he released music and performed under that name as well as his own.
The Ben Colder persona was created after an incident in which Sheb Wooley was supposed to record the song Don't Go Near The Indians but was delayed due to an acting job. During the delay Rex Allen recorded the song and scored a hit, and so Sheb Wooley told people that he didn't mind - he would do the sequel. His version was Don't Go Near the Eskimos, about a boy who lives in Alaska, and as an extra joke he used the name Ben Colder (as in living in Alaska means he had never Been Colder). The single was so successful he continued using the persona for another forty years, with one of his last recording being Shaky Breaky Car (which parodies the song Achy Breaky Heart)
He is considered by many to be the most likely voice actor for the Wilhelm scream, having appeared on a memo as a voice extra for Distant Drums. This particular recording of a scream has been used by sound effects teams in over 80 films.
Wooley continued occasional television and film appearances through the 1990s. In 1996 he was diagnosed with leukemia, and died at the Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee in 2003.
Wooley is buried in Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Wooley was born in Erick, Oklahoma and grew up on a farm. He learned how to ride horses at a young age, and was working cowboy and rodeo rider. He also played in a country-western band. During WWII, Wooley was turned down for service because of his rodeo injuries. He worked in the oil industry and as a welder. In 1946, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas and became a country and western musician.
Wooley appeared in dozens of western films from the 1950s through 1970s, most notably High Noon. He also appeared in The Outlaw Josey Wales and Giant. He also co-starred as Pete in the TV Western Rawhide.
In the late 1950s, he embarked on a recording career, and recorded the song that made him famous. Wooley followed up "People Eater" with a series of lesser-known novelty hits. Wooley also wrote the theme song for the long-running television show "Hee Haw".
He was a regular on Hee Haw as the drunken country songwriter Ben Colder. The Colder persona became popular and he released music and performed under that name as well as his own.
The Ben Colder persona was created after an incident in which Sheb Wooley was supposed to record the song Don't Go Near The Indians but was delayed due to an acting job. During the delay Rex Allen recorded the song and scored a hit, and so Sheb Wooley told people that he didn't mind - he would do the sequel. His version was Don't Go Near the Eskimos, about a boy who lives in Alaska, and as an extra joke he used the name Ben Colder (as in living in Alaska means he had never Been Colder). The single was so successful he continued using the persona for another forty years, with one of his last recording being Shaky Breaky Car (which parodies the song Achy Breaky Heart)
He is considered by many to be the most likely voice actor for the Wilhelm scream, having appeared on a memo as a voice extra for Distant Drums. This particular recording of a scream has been used by sound effects teams in over 80 films.
Wooley continued occasional television and film appearances through the 1990s. In 1996 he was diagnosed with leukemia, and died at the Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee in 2003.
Wooley is buried in Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Santa Claus Meets the Purple People Eater
Sheb Wooley Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Sheb Wooley:
Almost Persuaded Last night all alone in a barroom Met a girl with…
Are You Satisfied Are you satisfied really satisfied With the new love that ca…
Are You Satisfied? Are you satisfied, really satisfied With a new love that cam…
Bars Across the Windows Bars across the windows bars across the door I'm locked beh…
Cattle Call The cattle are prowlin' the coyotes are howlin' Out with th…
Cheap Hotel Me and a bottle of wine and a cheap hotel Broken…
Easy Lovin' Easy lovin′ so sexy lookin' They′re talkin' about me I guess…
Flying Purple People Eater Well, I saw the thing comin' out of the sky It…
Google Eye Jump in me old jeep wagon bump it to the…
High Lonesome The fur trader's endless quest Brought him to the peaks of…
I Belong Their faith was great in the new frontier They built their…
I Can't Believe You're Mine I can't believe you're mine. Really really mine. I wanted …
I Remember Loving You I look at my ole suitcase and I think of…
Indian Maiden Now way up in the Oklahoma hills Mid the white oak…
It's Gold It's gold it's gold it's gold came the cry from…
Laughin' The Blues Everybody else I know keeps cryin' the blues Everebody's cr…
Little Green Apples And I wake up in the mornin' With my hair…
Lonely Man Who knows what sorrows abide In the heart of a strange…
Make 'Em Laugh I have made my way around the USA Songs and funny…
Memories Are Made of This The sweet sweet memories you gave-a me You can't beat the…
Mirage The worse I thirst for water the more it comes…
Nobody's Child As I was slowly passing An orphan's home one day,…
Papa's Old Fiddle Papa brought his fiddle to the new frontier And many a…
Purple People Eater Well, I saw the thing comin' out of the sky It…
Purple People Eater #2 Well I saw the thing comin' out of the sky It…
Purple People Eater No. 2 Well I saw the thing comin' out of the sky It…
Rawhide (Rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin' Rollin' rollin' rollin' ro…
Right Is Right and Left Is Lonely So you wonder why I sit alone and fret and…
Rosie's the Queen of California Tin horn gamblers crooked games And dance hall girls to ent…
Roughneck Born to be a roughneck I'll never amount to nothin' Pullin'…
Searching (Uh huh searching I'm a searching) Once I was troubled re…
Silver Target Towns sprung up across the plain But soon the desperados ca…
Ten Chances to One I can hear my phone ringing and I'm sitting near…
That's My Ma Some years ago my ma and pa set up housekeeping…
That's My Pa Now back in the country where I was born It's on…
The Purple People Eater Well, I saw the thing comin' out of the sky It…
The Sun Also Rises They say everything looks better in the mornin' And the dark…
Tie A Tiger Down Is it woman's intuition some how you seem to know…
Wayward Wind In a lonely shack by a railroad track I spent…
You Still Turn Me On I need no other arms to hold me tight I need…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@littlestinker423
Never heard this before. Great song. 😊❤
@photoclick1
This is the first I am hearing this record. I love it. Wish radio stations would play this during the Christmas holidays.
@christineklinger
This song is so funny and cute love it.
@lydiamcgowan2125
That little purple guy sounds just like one of the chipmunks! Lol!
@charousel2
I heard this a few times but could not find it. Thank you for saving me some time and aggrivation. xoxoxoxoxo
@leonardtooley4453
great song-mr wooley was second to none
@jerryrichards6290
love this [wurlitzer1450]
@cindylawrence1515
This was released but was swamped in the flood of airplay of the monster hit of the Chipmunks which after all was a Christmas time release. I tried to explain to the doowop heads in my NYC neighborhood why I preferred this record because it was more rockabilly. They just blinked..they didn't know what Rockabilly was...I hoped they all got a lump of coal that year...great memories though.....
@TheAloweWolf
LOL!!
@kevinceniceros1690
Since "The Purple People Eater" was released in 1958, I am going to assume that "Santa Claus Meets The Purple People Eater" was released later that year.