{{Short description|American pop singer (1940–2016)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}} '''Joe Dowell''' (January 23, 1940 – February 4, 2016)<ref name="Obit"/> was an American pop singer.
==Career== He was born in Bloomington, Indiana,<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=727}}</ref> and moved to Bloomington, Illinois, as a child. He first performed at a ninth-grade talent show and later attended the University of Illinois. At his first recording session (backed by organist Ray Stevens), he sang the tune "Wooden Heart", which had been a hit for Elvis Presley in Europe but which was never released as a single stateside. In 1961, "Wooden Heart" became the first single released on Smash Records to shoot to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/134 134] | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/134 }}</ref> In the wake of his success, Dowell wanted to become a songwriter in his own right, but, due to contractual obligations, he was required to sing music owned by Smash's parent company, Mercury Records.<ref>[{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p24255|pure_url=yes}} Joe Dowell], AllMusic</ref> He had two further hits, "The Bridge of Love" (US No. 50) and "Little Red Rented Rowboat" (US No. 23) but, after struggles with his management, he was dropped from the label.
Dowell went on to record one single for Monument Records, a folk album in the 1960s, and a number of singles and a gospel album for his own Journey label in the 1970s and 1980s. He also recorded a bicentennial EP at Golden Voice Recording Co in South Pekin, Illinois, for the Boy Scouts of America and radio jingles.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://musicweird.blogspot.com/2014/01/joe-dowell-insanely-complete-post.html | title=Joe Dowell: An insanely complete post-Smash/Mercury discography | website=Musicweird.com | date=January 26, 2014 | access-date=March 29, 2014}}</ref>
In 2004, Bear Family Records released a CD of Joe Dowell's music, including unreleased recordings.
His publicist and friend Johnny Vallis confirmed to the Associated Press, that Joe Dowell died on February 4, 2016, in Bloomington, Illinois, after suffering a heart attack the prior weekend. He was 76.<ref name="Obit">{{Cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2016-02-04/joe-dowell-had-no-1-hit-with-wooden-heart-dies-at-76|title=Joe Dowell, had No. 1 hit with 'Wooden Heart," dies at 76 - US News|date=February 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206081919/http://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2016-02-04/joe-dowell-had-no-1-hit-with-wooden-heart-dies-at-76|access-date=August 24, 2021|archive-date=February 6, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.register-herald.com/region/joe-dowell-had-no-hit-with-wooden-heart-dies-at/article_fbd18dc3-1104-5d05-88c2-19d02ad273aa.html |title=Joe Dowell, had No. 1 hit with 'Wooden Heart," dies at 76 |access-date=February 4, 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20160209232349/http://www.register-herald.com/region/joe-dowell-had-no-hit-with-wooden-heart-dies-at/article_fbd18dc3-1104-5d05-88c2-19d02ad273aa.html |archivedate=February 9, 2016 }}</ref>
==Discography== ===Singles=== {|class="sortable wikitable" |- !Year !Title !US <br />Hot 100 !US <br />Easy Listening !Label |- | align=center| 1961|| "Wooden Heart" / "Little Bo Peep" || align=center| 1 || align=center| 1|| Smash 1708 |- | align=center| 1961|| "The Bridge of Love" / "Just Love Me" || align=center| 50 || align=center| 10|| Smash 1717 |- | align=center| 1962|| "Little Red Rented Rowboat" / "The One I Left for You" || align=center|23|| align=center| --|| Smash 1759 |- | align=center| 1962|| "Poor Little Cupid" / "No Secrets" || align=center|--|| align=center| --|| Smash 1786 |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=1928161}} * [http://www.mchistory.org/perch/resources/Finding%20Aid%20PDFs/dowell-joe-collection-1.pdf Joe Dowell Collection], McLean County Museum of History {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowell, Joe}} Category:1940 births Category:2016 deaths Category:American male singers Category:Singers from Illinois Category:Musicians from Bloomington, Indiana Category:Smash Records artists Category:People from Bloomington, Illinois