Shirley Collie Nelson
| Shirley Collie Nelson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Shirley Angelina Simpson |
| Also known as | Shirley Caddell (1955-58) Shirley Collie (1959-63) |
| Born |
March 16, 1931 Chillicothe, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 27, 2010 (aged 78) Springfield, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | country, rockabilly |
| Occupation(s) | Singer/songwriter |
| Instruments | vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1945–1995? |
| Labels |
ABC-Paramount Columbia Liberty |
| Associated acts |
Willie Nelson Warren Smith Floyd Tillman Bob Wills Lefty Frizzell Clyde Beavers |
Shirley Collie Nelson (March 16, 1931 – January 27, 2010), born Shirley Angelina Simpson, was an American country music and rockabilly singer, yodeler, guitarist and songwriter. From 1963–71, she was the second wife of country star Willie Nelson.
Born in Chillicothe, Missouri to Alice (née Davis) and Henry Simpson, she sang at local war bond rallies during World War II as a child, and made a guest appearance on KFEQ-AM in St. Joseph, Missouri. In 1945, at age 14, Simpson replaced "Sue" on the weekday morning Millie and Sue show on KMBC-AM in Kansas City, and the duo also appeared on the station's Brush Creek Follies barn dance show. She bought her Little Martin guitar from the previous Sue, an instrument she would use for the rest of her career. Her first marriage, at 15, lasted until she was 19.
In 1950, Simpson moved to Texas to play with Bob Wills, Johnnie Lee Wills and other Texas bands. She settled in Corpus Christi and performed locally until the fall of 1955, when the redhead was offered a regular role on ABC-TV’s Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri and signed a recording contract with ABC-Paramount. In 1956, she released her first singles on the label under her Jubilee stage name, Shirley Caddell, and made a guest appearance on The Eddy Arnold Show. In 1957, she recorded two singles with Lefty Frizzell on Columbia Records, as well as two solo numbers.
In 1958, she left Springfield to tour with The Philip Morris Country Music Show based in Nashville, Tennessee, where she met the show's manager and emcee, Hiram "Biff" Collie, a country music disc jockey on KFOX-AM in Long Beach, California. They married and she moved to Hollywood, appearing on Country America on KABC-TV. Both were also regulars on KTTV-TV's Town Hall Party, and Collie was a guest on NBC-TV's You Bet Your Life in 1960.
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