27. Slim Whitman

As a child, Slim enjoyed the country music he heard on the radio but didn’t even think of a musical career for himself. Singing only came up while he was in the Navy. He’d sing to entertain the members of his own ship. His singing was so well received that his captain blocked his transfer to another boat (this saved his life as the boat he would’ve been going to ended up sinking). After World War II, he did odd jobs around Tampa while working on his music career. A talent manager heard him sing on the radio and he got signed to RCA records. He was never big on singing depressing country tunes, and always preferred soft, romantic songs that allowed him to show off his smooth, three-octave falsetto and yodeling abilities. His style was called “countrypolitan”. Whitman was never as big in the U.S. as he was in Europe and Australia, but he did have a solid number of hit songs on the U.S. charts. He also got a resurgence in the late 1970’s and 80’s when television ads for his albums began coming out. One of his albums became the biggest-selling tv advertised album in history, and he was in the public eye again for a little while. With his excellent voice, millions sold and worldwide fame, there should be a plaque with his name on it at some point in the future.