Mervin James Shiner (February 20, 1921 – October 23, 2023) was an American country singer, songwriter, and guitar player, known for his honky-tonk style.

Biography

Mervin James Shiner was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on February 20, 1921. He gained popularity in Pennsylvania with his mother as a country and gospel duo on a radio program. Shiner pursued his music career in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

and later returned to the East Coast, where he continued singing on radio shows and joined a local cowboy band. In 1949, he appeared on the television program "Hometown Frolic" and caught the attention of songwriter

Vaughn Horton Vaughn may refer to: Places in the United States *Vaughn, California, former name of Bodfish, California *Vaughn, Montana *Vaughn, New Mexico * Vaughn, Oregon * Vaughn, Pennsylvania * Vaughn, Virginia *Vaughn, Washington Name *Vaughn (surname), ...

, leading to a recording contract with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. Several of his songs, such as " Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me", which made the top ten on the Country & Western chart. and "

Peter Cottontail Peter Cottontail is a name temporarily assumed by a fictional rabbit named Peter Rabbit in the works of Thornton Burgess, an author from Sandwich, Massachusetts In 1910, when Burgess began his ''Old Mother West Wind'' series, the cast of anim ...

," achieved success and opened doors for him, allowing him to perform with renowned artists like

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

and Minnie Pearl. Shiner appeared briefly in a cameo appearance as himself in his only film appearance in 1950 film ''

Holiday Rhythm ''Holiday Rhythm'' is a 1950 American musical film directed by Jack Scholl and starring Mary Beth Hughes, David Street and Wally Vernon.Fetrow p.186 It is a B movie revue released by the poverty row studio Lippert Pictures. The film's sets were ...

''. Shiner toured extensively, especially in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, and throughout his career he recorded for various labels, including Decca, Vocalion, Apex, Coral,

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, and Certron Records. Shiner died in Tampa, Florida, on October 23, 2023, at the age of 102.

Discography

Albums

Singles

'' Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me''
''

References

External Links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shiner, Mervin 1921 births 2023 deaths American centenarians Men centenarians American country singer-songwriters Country musicians from Pennsylvania People from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 20th-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania Decca Records artists Vocalion Records artists Apex Records artists Coral Records artists RCA Records artists