21 Facts About Spade Cooley

Donnell Clyde "Spade" Cooley was an American Western swing musician, big band leader, actor, television personality and convicted murderer.

Spade Cooley joined a big band led by Jimmy Wakely which played at the Venice Pier Ballroom in Venice, California, playing fiddle.

Spade Cooley was in a so-called "battle of the bands," in July 1942, with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys at the Venice Pier Ballroom.

Spade Cooley wrote and recorded "Shame on You", released by Okeh Records; recorded in December 1944, it was No 1 on the country charts for two months, while covers of the song by Red Foley with Lawrence Welk, and by Bill Boyd, opened at No 3 and No 4 on Billboard's "Most Played Juke Box Folk Records" chart for 30 August 1945.

Spade Cooley hung around Republic Pictures, ultimately sneaking onto a Gene Autry set.

Spade Cooley was caught, but Autry noticed his resemblance to Roy Rogers and his talent for playing the fiddle and introduced him to Rogers.

Spade Cooley appeared in thirty-eight Western films, both in bit parts and as a stand-in and stuntman for cowboy actor Roy Rogers.

In 1936, Rogers made Spade Cooley the featured fiddle player and a vocalist in his group Riders of the Purple Sage.

Spade Cooley reconstituted his band with former Bob Wills sidemen, including steel guitarist Noel Boggs and the guitar ensemble of Jimmy Wyble and Cameron Hill.

Spade Cooley added full brass and reed sections to the band.

The Spade Cooley Show was viewed coast-to-coast via the Paramount Television Network.

In 1960, Spade Cooley announced his retirement from music, and moved to his ranch in Mojave, to spend more time with his family.

Spade Cooley was honored by the installation of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Spade Cooley told his wife that if she ever did leave him, he would find her and kill her.

Spade Cooley claimed his wife had been injured by falling in the shower.

Spade Cooley had a parole hearing after serving eight years, in August 1969.

Spade Cooley had been awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, before the murder conviction, which has not been removed.

Spade Cooley had served less than nine years of a life sentence and was in poor health from heart trouble.

Spade Cooley is interred at Chapel of the Chimes cemetery in Hayward.

Spade Cooley is a recurring character in James Ellroy's fiction, including in the story "Dick Contino's Blues", which appeared in issue No 46 of Granta magazine and was anthologized in Hollywood Nocturnes.

Spade Cooley is referenced in one of The Honeymooners episodes, "My Aching Back " : "They wouldn't-a won [the National Raccoon Mambo Championship] except some guy slipped in a Spade Cooley record".