Marvin Rainwater, a country star of the 1950s, died Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Minneapolis, MN. He died of heart failure at age 88, according to The New York Times. His “Gonna Find Me a Bluebird” was a No. 3 country smash and a top-20 pop hit in 1957.
Born in Wichita, KS and raised in Kansas and Oklahoma, Rainwater was trained as a classical pianist, even though his family listened to the Grand Ole Opry. He switched to country music when he was homesick and serving in the Navy during World War II.
His first brush with success was as a songwriter. “I Gotta Go Get My Baby,” which he wrote in 1954, became a modest pop hit for Teresa Brewer and a top-10 country hit for Justin Tubb.
Rainwater rose to fame by winning the Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts TV competition in 1955. This led to him becoming a regular on The Ozark Jubilee TV series.
Signed to MGM Records, he issued “Albino Pink-Eyed Stallion” and “Tennessee Houn’ Dog Yodel” as singles before recording the rockabilly classic “Hot and Cold.”
His biggest hit was his self-penned “Gonna Find Me a Bluebird.” It became a giant country and pop hit in 1957. Around the same time, Faron Young had a major hit with the Rainwater penned “I Miss You Already (And You’re Not Even Gone).” This song was successfully revived by Billy Joe Royal in 1988.
Also in 1957, Rainwater’s “Majesty of Love” duet with MGM ingénue Connie Francis became the future pop star’s first charted single. His solo single, “Whole Lotta Woman,” became a No. 1 record in the U.K. in 1958. Lynn Redgrave later sang this song in the 1966 film Georgie Girl. Rainwater wrote it, as well as his country charting “So You Think You’ve Got Troubles.”
He also wrote “I Dig You Baby,” which became his second British hit. Meanwhile, “Nothin’ Means Nothin’” returned him to the country charts in the U.S. in late 1958.
Rainwater’s final appearance on the country hit parade was in 1959 with “Half-Breed.” It was written by John D. Loudermilk, who also wrote Rainwater’s “The Pale-Faced Indian (Lament of the Cherokee Nation).” This 1960 Rainwater single turned out to have a very long life. Don Fardon re-recorded it as “Indian Reservation” and had a pop hit with it in 1968. The Raiders revived it to become an even bigger pop hit in 1971. Then it was incorporated into Tim McGraw’s 1994 country smash “Indian Outlaw.”
Although Rainwater was frequently photographed in beaded headbands and buckskin jackets and was publicized as an “Indian,” he was not Native American.
Due to constant touring, he lost his voice. MGM dropped him in 1961. He later recorded for Warwick, United Artists and Warner Bros., and also formed his own label, Brave Records.
His other business ventures included backing the early country fan magazine Trail in 1958. He also had a studio and a publishing company. But by the 1980s, he was living in a trailer in rural Minnesota.
Germany’s Bear Family Records put out a boxed set of his works in 1992. Marvin Rainwater continued to tour until 2011.
He is survived by his wife Sheree Kay Christensen Rainwater, by sons Jim and Wade and by daughters Judie, Barbie and Laura. Sister and sometime MGM duet partner Patty Rainwater and brother Bob also survive him, as do 11 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

Steel guitarist, songwriter and audio innovator Bill West died on Thursday, Sept. 19, at age 80.
Born William Morris West Jr., he was raised in Nashville. After graduating from Hume-Fogg High School, he enrolled at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville to pursue an electrical engineering degree. By then, he was already proficient on pedal steel guitar.
While in Cookeville, he met aspiring country singer-songwriter Dorothy Marie Marsh. They married in 1952, and he worked in her band throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
As Dottie West (1932-1991), she became a big hit singer and a Grand Ole Opry star. She and Bill co-wrote her Grammy Award winning “Here Comes My Baby” (1964). The Wests also co-wrote her hits “Would You Hold It Against Me” (1966), “Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy” (1966) and “What’s Come Over My Baby” (1967), as well as the 1963 Jim Reeves hit “Is This Me.”
Always an experimenter who could reportedly build and fix just about anything, Bill West developed a “talkbox” device. It sent processed vocal sounds through an electric-guitar amplifier. The effect was first heard on fellow steel guitarist Pete Drake’s 1964 hit “Forever.”
Rock artist Joe Walsh was a friend of the Wests. Bill West gave Walsh a prototype of the talkbox and Walsh used it on such hits as 1976’s “Rocky Mountain High.” He later also used it on some songs when he was a member of The Eagles, notably on “Those Shoes” on the million-selling 1979 LP The Long One.
A similar effect can be heard on several hits by Peter Frampton, including 1976’s “Show Me the Way.”
Several of the Wests’ children entered the music business. Daughter Shelly West became a country hit maker of the 1980s and a CMA Award winner as the duet partner of David Frizzell.
Son Kerry West is an audio engineer, both in Music Row studios and at concerts. He tours with stars such as Ronnie Milsap, and has also produced a number of song demos that resulted in big hits.
Son Mo West (1953-2010) was a guitarist and songwriter in the American rock band Thunder. Produced by Kyle Lehning, the group recorded albums for Atlantic Records in the early 1980s.
Bill and Dottie West divorced in 1974. In the 1980s, he continued to perfect his steel guitar sounds. He also performed in the Opryland USA theme park’s long-running stage show “Country Music USA.” He has been retired for several years.
Bill West is survived by his wife Brenda McClure West, by sons Kerry, Dale and Walter, by daughter Shelly West Hood, by six grandchildren and by three great-grandchildren.
A celebration of his life will be at noon today (Monday, Sept. 23) at the chapel of Spring Hill Funeral Home. Internment will follow in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Alive Hospice.