Joe Dowell

Joe Dowell (b. Bloomington, Indiana, January 23, 1940 - Bloomington, Illinois, February 4, 2016) Singer and songwriter. Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Dowell moved to Bloomington, Illinois, as an infant and started playing guitar at age thirteen. While a student at the University of Illinois, Dowell went to Nashville during a break from school and made arrangements to record some songs with Smash Records. The result was the 1961 number-one hit “Wooden Heart,” a cover of a tune that Elvis Presley sang in G.I. Blues. An adaptation of a German folk song (“Muss I dem zum Staedele Hinaus”) and sung partly in German, “Wooden Heart” made Dowell a pop star overnight, although he was only able to follow it up with two minor hits. Due to contract disputes, he walked away from the music business in favor a career in radio advertising. He was also successful as a spokesman for banks.