Otis Dewey “Slim” Whitman was born on Jan. 20, 1924 in Tampa. Serving in World War II with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific, Mr. Whitman later worked at a Tampa shipyard while playing part-time with a band called “The Variety Rhythm Boys.” In 1948, legendary music manager Col. Tom Parker approached him with an offer to sign a contract, joining a group of legendary performers who included Minnie Pearl, Hank Snow and Eddy Arnold and would some day include Elvis Presley.
Mr. Whitman ended up signing with RCA, billed as “the cowboy singer.” He toured, but found he couldn’t make a living singing and continued to work other jobs until the early 1950s. That’s when his recording of Bob Nolan’s “Love Song of the Waterfall” made it big, followed by “Indian Love Song” hitting No. 2 on the country western charts.
Mr. Whitman was also very popular in Europe and England, with a No. 1 hit in 1954’s “Rose Marie,” and other chart-toppers like 1954’s “Cattle Call” and 1956’s “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.” Mr. Whitman moved to Middleburg in 1955 following more hits like “Love Song of the Waterfall,” “Danny Boy,” “Vaya Con Dios,” “Kathleen” and “Secret Love.” In 1976, he had another hit with “Una Paloma Blanca.”
