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Brothers Virgil Doyle
Wilburn (born 7 July 1930, Hardy, Arkansas, USA, died 16
October 1982) and Thurman Theodore ‘Teddy’ Wilburn (born 30
November 1931, Hardy, Arkansas, USA, died 24 November 2003)
started their careers as children singing with their siblings
as the Wilburn Family. This featured two elder brothers,
Lester (born 19 May 1924), Leslie (born 13 October 1925) and
sister Vinita Geraldine (born 5 June 1927), all born in Hardy,
Arkansas.
Their father, Benjamin
Wilburn, a disabled World War I veteran, whose ill health
prevented him doing normal work, thought that a career for his
children in entertainment might help the family budget. He
bought a mandolin, guitar and fiddle from the Sears, Roebuck
catalogue and in 1937, after his tuition, the Family were
singing on the streets of Thayer, 18 miles over the state line
in Missouri.
They went on to play local
radio stations and in 1940, after a reference from Roy Acuff,
who saw them singing at Birmingham, Alabama, they were invited
to join the Grand Ole Opry. They immediately became very
popular and attracted large amounts of mail but after six
months, beset with problems concerning child labor laws, the
Opry management asked them to leave.
They returned home and
continued to entertain, although the onset of World War II
affected their careers. Between 1948 and 1951, the Wilburn
Family worked on KWKH Shreveport, where the four brothers
regularly appeared on the Louisiana Hayride (Geraldine left
the group in 1948 to marry).
In 1951, because of the
Korean War, both Teddy and Doyle were drafted for US Army
service. In 1953, after discharge, they began to work as a
duo, touring and working with several major acts, including
Webb Pierce, Faron Young and Ernest Tubb, and they played on
the Opry, becoming full cast members in 1956.
They recorded for Decca
Records, first charting in 1955 with “I Wanna Wanna Wanna,”
but the following year they had Top 10 country hits with “I’m
So In Love With You” and “Go Away With Me.” Further chart
successes followed, including two Top 10 duets with Ernest
Tubb (“Hey, Mr. Bluebird” and “Mister Love”).
In the late 50s, they joined
with Leslie and Lester to found the publishing company
Sure-Fire Music, which handled their own and other artists’
songs. During the 60s, they toured extensively and frequently
made the country charts with their recordings. Their Top 5
hits included “Trouble’s Back In Town” (1962), “Roll Muddy
River” (1963), “It’s Another World” (1965) and “Hurt Her Once
For Me” (1967).
They hosted their own network
television show, on which they featured the young Loretta Lynn
(they also obtained a Decca recording contract for her), and
also appeared in a series on Australian television. They
extended their business interests to include Wil-Helm Talent,
which became one of Nashville's top booking agencies and
handled many of the major stars.
Although they had no chart
successes after “Arkansas” in 1972, they maintained their
popularity and still appeared on the Opry throughout the 70s.
Doyle Wilburn died in Nashville in 1982 as the result of
cancer. Teddy maintained the family tradition and continued to
appear on the Opry, often accompanied by brothers Lester and
Leslie. Teddy died six days short of his 72nd
birthday, November 24, 2003.
Steve
Mays
KBOA
Radio
Kennett, MO
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