Gene Sullivan (November 16, 1914–October 24, 1984) was an American songwriter.

Biography

Gene Sullivan was born in 1914 in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

to a coal miner. He worked in the mines from the age of 16, also pursued boxing professionally in his youth. His musical journey began with the purchase of his first guitar in 1932, leading to his involvement with Happy Hal Burns' Tune Wranglers and the Lone Star Cowboys in 1935, before joining the Shelton Brothers the following year. His roles with the Sheltons involved singing, guitar-playing, and comedy, and they broadcast via KWKH in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

. Sullivan's musical path crossed with Florida-born fiddler Wiley Walker, who joined the

Shelton Brothers The Shelton Brothers, Bob, Joe and Merle, were pioneer country musicians and renowned recording artists based out of Texas from the mid-1930s through the 1960s. They created and popularized the songs ''Johnson's Old Gray Mule'', ''Deep Elm Blues' ...

two years after Sullivan. Their shared journeys on the concert circuit led to their duet act, Wiley & Gene, formed in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

in 1939. They gained prominence on KFJZ radio in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, and extended their broadcast to Oklahoma City via KWXX, which subsequently became their permanent residence. The World War II era marked the zenith of Wiley and Gene's career. Their contributions included the composition and recording of "Live and Let Live" and "

When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again" is a song written by Wiley Walker and Gene Sullivan in 1940. They first recorded it in 1941. Background According to Gene Sullivan, the song, “When my Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again,” was written out of n ...

" in 1941, songs that became classics, covered by numerous artists over the years. The duo ventured into television in the late 1940s, becoming country TV pioneers in Oklahoma City. Their single "Make Room in Your Heart for a Friend" charted #2 in 1946, marking their only country music hit. Despite solo pursuits—Sullivan's most notable being his 1957 Top 10 hit "Please Pass the Biscuits"—the pair reunited several times throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Post-music career, Sullivan managed a music store in Oklahoma City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Gene 1914 births 1984 deaths American songwriters People from Birmingham, Alabama