1. Enos William McDonald, better known as Skeets McDonald, was an American country and rockabilly musician popular during the 1950s and 60s.
17 Facts About Skeets McDonald
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Best known for the Slim Willet-penned song "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes", McDonald was a devoted honky tonk singer and songwriter whose work helped to bridge the gap between country and rock and roll.
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Skeets McDonald was born on October 1,1915, in Greenway, Arkansas.
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Skeets McDonald was the youngest of his parents' seven children; he gained his nickname for calling mosquitoes "skeets" as a child.
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When his older brother moved to Detroit, Michigan, in the early 1930s, Skeets McDonald followed; he joined his first band, the Lonesome Cowboys, in 1935.
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Skeets McDonald later formed his own band and played local clubs and on radio in Flint and Pontiac.
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Skeets McDonald was drafted in 1943 and was stationed in North Africa and the Far East during World War II, earning a Bronze Star.
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Skeets McDonald made his first recordings for Fortune Records in 1950 with Johnnie White and his Rough Riders, and cut records for London and Mercury Records as Skeets Saunders.
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In 1951, Skeets McDonald moved to Los Angeles, California, where he became a regular on Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree and later appeared on Town Hall Party.
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Skeets McDonald was signed by Capitol Records, which viewed him as its answer to Columbia Records' Lefty Frizzell and demanded he continue releasing country songs rather than the rockabilly sound he had experimented with since the war.
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Skeets McDonald recorded more than 80 numbers for the label, including his 1952 smash country hit, "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes".
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Skeets McDonald signed with Columbia in 1959 and spent the decade there, recording some West Coast hillbilly, as well as some forays into rockabilly.
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Skeets McDonald employed young guitar-whiz Eddie Cochran to back him in the studio for "You Oughta See Grandma Rock" and "Heart Breaking Mama".
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Skeets McDonald appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and the Big D Jamboree in Dallas, Texas.
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Skeets McDonald made several film appearances, including Saddle Pals with Johnny Mack Brown, Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town, The Glenn Miller Story and Hud, singing "Driftwood on the River" with Janet McBride.
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In later years, Skeets McDonald moved his style more towards rock and roll; but refused to move far from the tearjerking songs which made his name.
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Skeets McDonald died from a heart attack on March 31,1968, in Los Angeles.