Carl Stuart Hamblen (October 20, 1908 – March 8, 1989)[1] was an American entertainer who in 1926 became one of radio's first singing cowboys, going on to become a singer, actor, radio show host and songwriter. He converted to Christianity under the ministry of Billy Graham, becoming a temperance movement supporter and running several times for political office. He is best known as the composer of the song "This Ole House" (1954), most notably recorded by Rosemary Clooney and Shakin' Stevens.
Early life
Hamblen was born into the family of an itinerant Methodist preacher on October 20, 1908, in Kellyville, Texas.[1] He married Suzy Daniels and they had two children. Hamblen's father was J. H. Hamblen, a minister in the Methodist Church in Texas, who in 1946 founded the Evangelical Methodist Church denomination in Abilene.
Career
In 1931, Hamblen began hosting the popular radio program Family Album in California. He also composed music and acted in motion pictures with cowboy stars, including Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and John Wayne. In 1934, he became the first artist signed by the American subsidiary of Decca Records.[2]
Hamblen did not cope well with the pressures of his high-profile career and sought relief in alcohol. Many times his drinking landed him in jail for public brawling and other destructive behavior. The Texas State Historical Association reports that Hamblen identified himself as the "original juvenile delinquent".[3] Because Hamblen was hugely popular, his radio sponsors regularly bailed him out of jail and smoothed things over.[1] For a while, he ventured into horse racing as an owner.[4] Inevitably, Hamblen's drinking and gambling problems severely affected his life and career. In 1949 after years of struggle with alcohol, Hamblen converted to Christianity at a Billy Grahamcrusade in Los Angeles, and was soon fired from his radio program after refusing to do beer commercials. He subsequently gave up gambling and horse racing, and entered Christian broadcasting with his radio show The Cowboy Church of the Air, which ran until 1952.[5]
Personal life
During a 1949 crusade in Los Angeles, Graham called Hamblen's conversion "the turning point" in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's ministry, as the crowds had been rather small before Hamblen accepted Christ. Graham said Hamblen was the No. 1 radio personality in Los Angeles, which drew in crowds. He went on to relate an anecdote about Hamblen's hunting skills, instrumental in Hamblen's capture of a wild panther in the Los Angeles area prior to the crusade.[6][7] That evening, also Graham's first coast-to-coast television broadcast, Hamblen shared about his faith and sang/spoke his signature hymn "It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)".
Stuart Hamblen died March 8, 1989, in Santa Monica, California, of brain cancer.[2][better source needed]
"This Ole House" was inspired during a hunting trip in the High Sierras with John Wayne and guide Monte Wolfe.[9] The two men came upon what looked like an abandoned shack, wherein they found the body of an elderly man, apparently dead of natural causes.[1] Hamblen came up with the lyrics to the song while riding horseback down the mountain, and composed the melody within a week.[2] In addition to being a No. 1 hit for Clooney, it was later recorded by Roberta Sherwood and The Statler Brothers, among many others. In 1981, a version performed by Welsh rock'n'roll singer Shakin' Stevens topped the UK Singles Chart.[1]
In 1955, Hamblen had a hit single with "Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" (B-side "The Lord is Counting on You"), performed along with his family under the name "The Cowboy Church Sunday School." Hamblen was accompanied by wife Suzy, daughters Veeva Suzanne and Obee Jane (Lisa), and two of the girls' friends. The song was recorded at the phonograph speed of 33 RPM so that, played back at the normal 7-inch–single speed of 45 RPM, it sounds like children singing. The tune hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts in 1955.[10] "Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" was sung on an episode of the television cartoon series The Flintstones in the mid-1960s by characters Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm.
Hamblen wrote the lyrics to the Christmas cult favorite "Hardrock, Coco and Joe". An animated Christmas cartoon short based on the song was created in the mid-1950s. Its running time is about 2 minutes and 45 seconds. The full title is Hardrock, Coco and Joe - The Three Little Dwarfs, but is commonly called Hardrock, Coco and Joe, after the song title.
The Hamblen family participated in the Pasadena Rose Parade for many years, riding Peruvian Paso horses.
At Hamblen's well-attended funeral in Los Angeles, a recording of his was played; Billy Graham gave the eulogy. Hamblen is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park-Hollywood Hills.
The Stuart Hamblen Collection, which includes Hamblen's original sound recordings, resides at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill within the Southern Folklife Collection.[11]
Awards
Hamblen was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, was presented the ACM Pioneer Award 1972, received the Gene Autry Golden Boot Award 1988, and was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame 2001.[2] He later received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Western Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
Jefferson, Texas (near Hamblen's birth home of Kelleyville, Texas), celebrates "Stuart Hamblen Days" each year. A bronze plaque dedication took place in the city park in 1998, sponsored by a local opera house.[2]
