Carl Stuart Hamblen (October 20, 1908 – March 8, 1989) was an American entertainer who became one of radio's first singing cowboys in 1926, going on to become a singer, actor, radio show host, and songwriter. He underwent a Christian conversion and became a

Temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

supporter and recurring candidate for political office. He is best known as the composer of the song "

This Ole House "This Ole House" (sometimes written "This Old House") is an American popular song written by Stuart Hamblen, and published in 1954. Rosemary Clooney's version reached the top of the popular music charts in both the US and the UK in 1954. The so ...

" (1954), most notably recorded by Rosemary Clooney and

Shakin' Stevens Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, althoug ...

Early life

Hamblen was born into the family of an itinerant Methodist preacher on October 20, 1908 in Kellyville,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States. He married Suzy Daniels and they had two children. Hamblen's father was Dr. J. H. Hamblen, a minister in the Methodist Church in Texas, who in 1946 founded the

Evangelical Methodist Church The Evangelical Methodist Church (EMC) is a Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The denomination reported 399 churches in the United States, Mexico, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Philippines ...

denomination in Abilene, Texas.

Career

From 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 Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

, and John Wayne. In 1934, he became the first artist signed by the American subsidiary of Decca Records. 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 The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, on March 2, 1897. , TSHA moved their offices from Austin to the University of ...

reports that Hamblen identified himself as the "original juvenile delinquent." Because Hamblen was hugely popular, his radio sponsors regularly bailed him out of jail and smoothed things over. For a while, he ventured into horse-racing as an owner. Inevitably, Hamblen's drinking and gambling problems severely affected his life and career. In 1949 after years of struggle with alcohol, Hamblen underwent a religious conversion at a

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

crusade 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.

Personal life

During a 1949 crusade in Los Angeles, Graham called Hamblen's conversion "the turning point" in the

Evangelistic Association's ministry, where before Hamblen accepted Christ the crowds were rather small. Graham said Hamblen was the No. 1 radio personality in Los Angeles, which drew in crowds. 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) "It Is No Secret" is a Southern gospel song written and sung by Stuart Hamblen and released on the Columbia Records, Columbia label. In January 1951, it reached No. 8 on the country disc jockey chart. It spent two weeks on the charts and was the N ...

". Graham attributed Hamblen's hunting skills as instrumental in capturing a wild panther in the Los Angeles area prior to the crusade. Stuart Hamblen died March 8, 1989, in Santa Monica, California of brain cancer.

Music

In his early career as a singing cowboy he composed his song "Texas Plains". It was this song that

Patsy Montana Rubye Rose Blevins (October 30, 1908 – May 3, 1996), known professionally as Patsy Montana, was an American country music singer, songwriter and actress. Montana was the first female country performer to have a million-selling single with her ...

reworked into her million seller hit "

I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart "I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" is a country and Western song written and first recorded in 1935 by Ruby Blevins, who performed as Patsy Montana. It was the first country song by a female artist to sell more than one million copies. Backgrou ...

" (1935). Hamblen wrote the popular songs "

" (1954) (popularized by Rosemary Clooney, among others) and " Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" (not to be confused with the song from the Broadway musical '' Hair''). Other songs include "Hell Train", "

" and "Blood on Your Hands". "It Is No Secret" was written following his acceptance of Christ and a spiritual conversation with John Wayne. After accepting the Lord, Hamblen was fired from his position as disc jockey because he refused to do alcohol commercials. John Wayne offered him a drink shortly thereafter, Hamblen refused saying "It is no secret what the Lord can do." John Wayne said, "You should write a song by that title." The song would go on to be sung by popular singers Rosemary Clooney, Kate Smith,

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the nation from the mid-to-late 20th-century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas. He is known by the nicknam ...

Leslie Uggams Leslie Marian Uggams (born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, Uggams is recognized for portraying Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries ''Roots'' (1977), earning Golden Globe ...

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and '' Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

(duet),

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

Tom Netherton Thomas Harold Netherton Jr. (January 11, 1947 – January 7, 2018), was an American singer. He was known for his tenure on ''The Lawrence Welk Show''. Early life Netherton was born on January 11, 1947, in Munich, Germany while his father, a Un ...

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' cou ...

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

, Johnny Cash,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on ...

and

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, " Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...

. "This Ole House" was inspired while on a hunting trip in the High Sierras with John Wayne and guide Monte Wolfe. 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. Hamblen came up with the lyrics to the song while riding horseback down the mountain, and composed the melody within a week. In addition to being a number one hit for Clooney, it was later recorded by Roberta Sherwood and

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

, among many others. In 1981, a version performed by Welsh rock'n'roll singer

topped the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In 1955, Hamblen had a hit single with "Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" b/w "The Lord is Counting on You", 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

33 RPM The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

speed so that it sounds like children singing at the normal 7-inch single phonograph speed of 45 RPM. The tune hit No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop charts in 1955. "Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" was sung on an episode of the television cartoon series ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

'' in the mid-1960s by characters Pebbles and

Bamm-Bamm Bamm-Bamm Rubble (sometimes spelled Bam-Bam Rubble) is a fictional character in the ''Flintstones'' franchise, the adopted son of Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the animated series, but has also appeared at var ...

. Hamblen wrote the lyrics to the Christmas

cult favorite A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

, "Hardrock, Coco and Joe". An animated Christmas cartoon 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. One of Hamblen's few secular songs to become popular was "

(Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You "(Remember Me) I'm The One Who Loves You" is a song written and originally sung by Stuart Hamblen, which he released in 1950. The song was a hit for Ernest Tubb the same year, and Dean Martin in 1965. Johnny Cash also covered it on his 1957 ...

," recorded by

Jimmy Dean Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. He was the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand as well as the spokesman for its TV commercials. He became ...

Red Foley Clyde Julian "Red" Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968) was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the gen ...

, and others, and made into a gold record by Dean Martin in a 1965

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

recording. The Hamblen family participated in the Pasadena Rose Parade for many years riding

Peruvian Paso The Peruvian Horse is a breed of light saddle horse known for its smooth ride. It is distinguished by a natural, four-beat, lateral gait called the ''paso llano.'' This breed is protected by the Peruvian government through Decree number 25919 of ...

horses. At Mr. Hamblen's well-attended funeral in Los Angeles, a recording of Mr. Hamblen's was played; Billy Graham gave the eulogy. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. 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 The Southern Folklife Collection is an archival resource at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating traditional and vernacular music, art, and culture related to the American South. ...

Awards

Hamblen was inducted into the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is ...

in 1970, was presented the ACM Pioneer Award 1972, received the Gene Autry Golden Boot Award 1988, and was inducted into Texas Country Music Hall of Fame 2001. He later received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the

Gospel Music Hall of Fame The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music. Inductees This is an incompl ...

in 1994 and the Western Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

Jefferson, Texas Jefferson is a city in Marion County, in the U.S. state of Texas's northeastern region. With a population of 1,875 at the 2020 United States census, it is the county seat of Marion. History Almost every commercial building and house on the main ...

(near Hamblen's birth home of Kelleyville, Texas) celebrates "Stuart Hamblen Days" each year, with a bronze plaque dedication taking place in the city park in 1998, sponsored by a local opera house.

Politics

Hamblen supported the American

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

and ran as the Prohibition Party's candidate for

U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

in the 1952 presidential election. Hamblen garnered 72,949 recorded popular votes and no electoral votes in an election in which

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

was elected President for the first of two terms, defeating

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Adlai Stevenson. Previously, Hamblen ran for California's 20th congressional district seat as a Democrat, losing to Carl Hinshaw in the 1938 election cycle. The race ended with Hinshaw at 47 percent and Hamblen with 41 percent of the vote.

Discography

Albums

* ''It's No Secret'' ( RCA Victor, 1956) * ''The Grand Old Hymns'' (RCA Victor, 1957) * ''Hymns'' ( Harmony, 1957) * ''A Visit With Stuart Hamblen'' (

Sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

, 1958) * ''Immortal Treasures'' (Sacred, 1958) * ''Remember Me'' (

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

, 1958) * ''Beyond the Sun'' (

RCA Camden The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westin ...

, 1959) * ''The Spell of the Yukon'' ( Columbia, 1961) * ''Of God I Sing'' (Columbia, 1962) * ''This Old House Has Got to Go'' ( Kapp, 1966) * ''I Believe'' (Harmony, 1967) * ''The Cowboy Church'' (

Word A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...

, 1973) * ''A Man and His Music'' ( Lamb & Lion, 1974) * ''The Worlds of Stuart Hamblen Volume 1: The Shooting of Dan McGrew'' (Voss, 1978) * ''The Worlds of Stuart Hamblen Volume 2: The Legacy of Stuart Hamblen'' (Voss, 1978) * ''The Worlds of Stuart Hamblen Volume 3: So Dear to My Heart'' (Voss, 1978) * ''The Worlds of Stuart Hamblen Volume 4: Songs the Cowboy Sings'' (Voss, 1978)

Singles

Filmography

References

External links

Black Cat Rockabilly - Stuart Hamblen
*
Stuart Hamblen Collection, Southern Folklife Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
*
''Life'' magazine archived photo of Hamblen at November 1949 Billy Graham Crusade in Los Angeles

Snopes.com article clarifying urban legend about Hamblen's conversion.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamblen, Carl Stuart 1908 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American politicians American temperance activists American Christians American country singer-songwriters Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) California Democrats California Prohibitionists Neurological disease deaths in California Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in California Decca Records artists Four Star Records artists People from Marion County, Texas Prohibition Party (United States) presidential nominees RCA Victor artists Singer-songwriters from Texas Southern gospel performers Candidates in the 1952 United States presidential election