One couple that kept American audiences laughing for decades might not be thought of as comedians but “Lulu Belle and Scotty” were able to transform comedy into song and became one of the most popular country music acts of their era.
With titles like “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It’s Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight?” “Mountain Dew,” “How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life?” “I Think I Hear a Woodpecker Knocking at My Family Tree” and “Store Bought Teeth (and Taffy Candy)” included in their musical acts, this talented duo kept their audiences laughing and clamoring for more.
Lula Belle and Skyland Scotty were stage names adopted by Myrtle Cooper and Scotty Wiseman. Though born only 40 miles apart in North Carolina, this beloved duo first met at WLS-AM in Chicago while appearing as separate acts on the National Barn Dance radio show. Cooper arrived in 1932 and was matched up with Red Foley as the duo, Lulu Belle and Burrhead. Wiseman arrived in 1933 and began performing as a solo act. When Foley married Eva Overstake in 1933, her jealousy of Cooper led promoter John Lair to suggest that Cooper pair up with Wiseman to form a new act. Little did anyone know at the time such a pairing was a match made in heaven. They were dubbed “The Hayloft Sweethearts” by the station and fans. By 1934 Cooper and Wiseman were married and on the road to becoming the most famous country duo of their time. They would certainly earn their other title, “Sweethearts of County Music.”
Cooper had developed her character, Lulu Belle, to be a feisty, boy-crazed, smart-mouthed young girl, which her audiences came to love. After marriage to Wiseman, however, the persona changed to one of being involved in a battle of the sexes that their audiences loved even more. Lulu Belle was voted “Radio Queen of America” in 1936 by Radio Guide magazine. Wiseman was shy and the more serious of the two and dedicated his efforts more to writing songs than to comedy. Among the more popular songs written by Wiseman and recorded by the duo were two country classics entitled, “Remember Me” and “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?” Both songs became country music standards and have been recorded by countless musicians through the years. Wiseman was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971.
In an article from the Lafayette Journal and Courier in 1937, Wiseman revealed that although he and Cooper had much in common, it was in discovering that “they both liked cornbread for breakfast” that caused them to decide they couldn’t do without one another. In 1945 the Record Herald of Washington, Ohio, stated, “no team in radio entertainment enjoys a wider popularity than Lulu Belle and Scotty, who specialize in rustic comedy, music and song.” This story is displayed alongside stories about events concerning the U.S. involvement in WWII, signifying a much-needed respite by Americans during that time.
Cooper and Wiseman traveled the country during the 1940s making popular a brand of country music and comedy that was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by their audiences. During their career that spanned more than five decades, the couple recorded 64 songs, appeared in seven full-length movies and had weekly broadcasts over a radio network of 200 radio stations. They appeared on stage alongside
such entertainers as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Roy Acuff, Red Foley, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Burl Ives, George Gobel, Henry Burr, Rex Allen, Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore and countless others. While under contract to WLS Chicago, they were allowed to make appearances on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, which was then emerging as the country music capital. From 1949 to 1957 they hosted their own daily television program with Chicago station WNBQ.
In 1958 the Wisemans opted to retire from their lifelong profession of country music, and by 1959 they had settled down in their dream home, “a cabin in the pines,” near Ingalls, Avery County, North Carolina. Wiseman returned to college after an absence of 25 years and earned a master’s degree in speech education from Northwestern University in 1958. His post career life saw him become a teacher, farmer and bank director. Cooper became chairman of the Red Cross Volunteers, a position she held for six years. She served another four years as chairman of the Mayland Chapter, representing the counties of Mitchell, Avery and Yancey. She resigned this last post to enter politics in 1974 while running as a Democratic candidate for the State House of Representatives in North Carolina. She was elected and served two terms from 1975 to 1978. In their private lives they engaged in gardening, canning, knitting, woodworking and raising Angus cattle. For entertainment they enjoyed fishing, golf, boating and water skiing.
Even in retirement they continued to enjoy making and recording their music. Three albums were recorded for Starday including, “The Sweethearts of Country Music” (1963), “Down Memory Lane” (1964) and “Sweethearts Still” (1965). In 1974 they recorded the album, “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You,” for Old Homestead Records.
Scotty Wiseman died in 1981 following a heart attack while on a return trip to North Carolina from a Florida vacation. Cooper remarried in 1983 to family friend and retired attorney Ernest Stamey. In 1989 Cooper recorded an album with Mar-lu Records. Cooper died Feb. 8, 1999, in Ingalls, North Carolina at age 85.
Story By Danny Nichols