Jimmy and Dorothy Blakley KLPR Oklahoma City, OK KSWS Roswell, NM

About The Artist Jimmy and Dorothy Blakley were a husband-wife act that were making Western music for several years in the 1950's. Jimmy and Dorothy got their start on radio station KLPR in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and later worked on several other stations before moving to Roswell, New Mexico. Jimmy got started with a small band and was on KSWO in Lawton, OK for a time. Dorothy first started singing with the Al Stidman band in Oklahoma City, OK. The couple met in Oklahoma City in 1943. Dorothy was from Choctaw, OK while Jimmy was born in Shawnee, OK. They were married on July 31, 1943 in Oklahoma City, OK. Around 1956, they were playing in the Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico areas. They shared the stage with such stars as Jimmy Wakeley, Bill Callahan, Joe Callahan and Carl Perkins. They spent a year with Art Fowley, a cowboy movie actor. They began to work as a team and had their first radio show on KLPR in Oklahoma City. In 1952, the couple moved their family to Rosewll, NM and had a show KBIM. Jimmy played steel guitar for their group, while his wife played the piano. They were playing nightly over at Scotty's Club in Roswell, New Mexico. They had their own radio show over KSWS in Roswell for over three years, too. In addition, they had a weekly televsion program over KSWS-TV that aired on Thursday. Their band at the time at Scotty's Club included Cliff Blakley (Jimmy's brother); Jan Blakley (Cliff's wife); Jake Arrott on fiddle. In 1956, they had just signed with the Starday record company and their first releases included: "Take My Heart" b/w "You Left Me With The Blues" "Ping Pong" b/w "Sorry For You" "Runaway Heart" b/w "Crazy Blues" Dorothy played the piano had two releases on Starday. She composed two tunes with Del Wood of the WSM Grand Ole Opry for Del's RCA album. They did a guest appearance on the BIG D Jamboree in Dallas in 1957 or so. The couple had three children - Jimmy, Debbie and Gene. Credits & Sources Cowboy Songs No. 47; July 1956; American Folk Publications, Inc.; Derby, CT Jimmy and Dorothy Blakley: Partners In Life And Song; Country & Western Jamboree; September 1957; Maher Publications, Inc.; Chicago, IL

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Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)   D Rec. No. Side Song Title   1175 A Honky Tonk Princess   1175 B Island Paradise   Mercury / Starday Rec. No. Side Song Title   71231X45 A Demon In My Heart   71231X45 B Tender Words   Starday Rec. No. Side Song Title   200 A Take My Heart   200 B You Left Me With The Blues   221 A Ping Pong   221 B Sorry For You   299 A Crazy Blues (vcl: Jimmy Blakely)   299 B Runaway Heart   318 A A Pair Of Crazy Hearts   318 B Making Believe You're Mine   357 A Piano Polka   357 B Slow Poke Rag