Lulu Belle & Scotty North Carolina Music Hall of Fame (2014) WLS National Barn Dance WLS Chicago, IL WLW Cincinnati, OH

About The Group The "Hayloft Sweethearts" were known as one of the 'happiest and best loved' families on the air. They both came from the mountains back east. In 1938, they were voted by listeners as one of the top three in popularity. They were said to have had that indefinable "something" that is difficult to describe when trying to explain their popularity. George Biggar wrote in their song folio back in 1941 that they were 'natural'. Throughout their career, as popular as they were, they always seemed to have a singular goal in mind - to get back to that cabin in the pines, a place in the Big Smoky mountains in North Carolina. They eventually got that home and were able to visit it once in a while before eventually retiring. It was near Ingalls, North Carolina. Scotty used to heard his family's sheep over this same land. Scotty was the seventh child in Mr. and Mrs. Ed Wiseman's family. He had a hobby back then of playing harmonica and guitar for square dances. As a teen, he began collecting mountain ballads. He went to Duke University for a year after high school, then spent three years at Fairmount, WV Teachers College. It was while he was at Fairmount that he got a job on radio station WMMN; he sang those mountain ballads he had collected and helped in program work. When he graduated from the Teachers College, he became their program manager for a few months, when the opportunity came to join the WLS staff. Along about 1940, though they had left the WLS National Barn Dance. In reading the book, "Not Just A Sound, The History of WLW" by Dick Perry, it seems a few of the crew such as Charles Biggar and Bill McCluskey. McCluskey was brought in to be the goodwill ambassador and handle the talent at WLW. He was there they pulled a coup got Lulu Belle and Scotty to join the Boone County Jamboree on 50,000 watt clear-channel WLW. About four years after Scotty was born, a Myrtle Cooper was born in Boone, North Carolina to her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Cooper. In 1929, her family moved to Evanston, Illinois. It didn't take long for John Cooper to go to the WLS studio and as them to hear his daughter sang; he thought she was as good as anything that was on the Barn Dance. She auditioned and in a few weeks, she was part of the hayloft gang at the theatre on Eighth Street. She was nicknamed "Lulu Belle" - a sort of 'cut-up' of a girl in a calico dress and high-topped shoes. Through it all, fame never seemed to cause them to be anything other than the same natural 'mountain folk' that they had always been and longed to return to later in life. They received a lot of fan mail and played to sold out audiences in mid-western theatres. They were always amazed that folks would make such a 'to-do' about them. Reading their story, you can see perhaps where Scotty got the inspiration to write "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You"... Trivia and Timeline Notes Scotty played guiar and five-string banjo Scotty also wrote songs Lulu Belle and Scotty were married on December 13, 1934 Daughter Linda Lou was born January 3, 1936 - noted that she had not yet learned to chew gum (Lulu Belle had a tendency to chew gum when she performed...) and once in a while, showed an inclination to yodel. Appearance History This Month Read More About The Group Printer Friendly Version Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)   Conqueror Rec. No. Side Song Title   8315 A Daffy Over Taffy   8315 B Little Black Moustache   8593 A Madam I've Come To Marry You   8593 B Farmer's Daughter   8594 A Prisoner At The Bar   8594 B Get Along Home Cindy   8595 A Sugar Babe   8595 B Tildy John   9189 A Never Take No For A Answer   9189 B Wish I Was A Single Girl Again   9249 A When I Yoo Hoo In The Valley   9249 B Mountain Dew   9250 A The Prisoner's Dream   9250 B It Ain't Nobody's Bizness   9586 A Be Careful Girls   9586 B The Empty Stocking   9587 A The Wumpus Cat   9587 B Whoa Black Buck   9693 A I'd Like To Go Back   9693 B The Wandering Boy   9694 A Did You Ever Go Sailing?   9694 B Remember Me   9695 A From Jerusalem To Jericho   9695 B There's No Hiding Place Down There   Emerald Rec. No. Side Song Title   1998 A Hang Out The Front Door Key   1998 B Lonesome Whippoorwill   2005 A Tenderly He Watches   2005 B The Old Time Bible   London Rec. No. Side Song Title   16014 A Have I Told You Lately That I Love You   16014 B Schrudle Du   Mercury Rec. No. Side Song Title   6304 A My Heart Cries For You   6304 B Shenandoah Waltz   6318 A Each Time You Leave Me   6318 B Truly I Love You   6389 A Around The Corner   6389 B Wishin'   6400 A I'm No Communist   6400 B Tied Down   Starday Rec. No. Side Song Title   746 A I'll Be All Smiles Tonight   746 B Try To Live Some (When You're Here)   Vocalion Rec. No. Side Song Title   04690 B When I Yoo Hoo In The Valley   04691 A Mountain Dew   04772 A Never Take No For An Answer   04772 B Wish I Was A Single Girl Again   04841 A The Prisoner's Dream   04841 B The Old Red Cradle   04910 A This Train   04910 B Turn Your Radio On   04962 A It Ain't Nobody's Biz'ness   04962 B There's A Little Pine Log Cabin   05487 A Get Along Home Cindy   05487 B Prisoner At The Bar