b. Edward Merle Kirk, 21 March 1919, on a ranch near Greeley, Colorado, d. date unknown. The ranch hands taught him cowboy songs and he was singing and tap-dancing with a small band at the age of nine. In 1934, he relocated to California where, for a time, he worked with the Beverly Hillbillies. He was National Yodelling Champion in 1935 and 1936 and between 1933 and 1937, he earned a reputation as an amateur boxer. He worked in films and made personal appearances until 1943, when he joined the navy. He returned to California in 1945, appearing in films, and directed the Holly...