Reece Dodson Shipley (April 19, 1921 – May 8, 1998) was an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

singer and guitarist, noted for his 1952 singles "Hillbilly Jive with a Boogie Beat" and "Milk Bucket Boogie".

Biography

Born in Whitesburg,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

, Shipley was the son of

string musicians String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. During the late 1930s, he was a guitarist of the Carolina Pals in

Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire, ...

. After the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he joined the

Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

s of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

. While serving in the Navy, he regularly entertained the troops on wartime radio. He was later transferred to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, where he met

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

who would influence his own music. Following the end of the war, Shipley returned to Tennessee and worked at the radio stations WOPI and WKPT of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

and

Kingsport Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire ...

, respectively. In 1952, he had success with the single "Hillbilly Jive with a Boogie Beat". Another single released that year by Shipley, "Milk Bucket Boogie", was later covered by

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 ...

. He later collaborated with The Rainbow Valley Boys and the Burleson Sisters. During the 1980s and 1990s, he often performed at venues in Johnson City,

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state ...

and Kingsport. His album ''Tennessee Swing'' was released in 1995, and again in 2006 with two additional tracks by

Patuxent Music Patuxent Music is an independent record label in Rockville, Maryland. History Bluegrass musician Tom Mindte started recording music by other artists in 1984 with a reel to reel recorder in his father's air conditioning shop. In 1990 Tom opened ...

. Shipley died on May 8, 1998, at the age of 77. He was survived by his wife, Mary, and two daughters, Sandy and Anne. Mary died on February 12, 2017, at the age of 91.

References

1921 births 1998 deaths American country bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American country singer-songwriters United States Navy personnel of World War II Country musicians from Tennessee People from Hamblen County, Tennessee United States Navy sailors Guitarists from Tennessee 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American male musicians Seabees American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Tennessee {{US-country-musician-stub