The reason for why I‘ve titled this blog The “killer” King of Western Swing, will become clear quite soon.
Donnell Clyde Cooley was born in Oklahoma in February 1910, both his grandfather and his father were talented fiddle players, so it’s no shock when a young Donnell started playing in dance halls at the age of 8, from Oklahoma to California, where Cooley continued to play in the local honky tonks and dance halls.
Sometime around 1934, Cooley was hired as a stunt double due to his resemblance to famous son of the pioneers, and western movie actor, Roy Rogers, during this time he also became a stand in replacement at times when Rogers work load got to heavy, due to this fame and attention, Cooley was able to buy his own dance hall and ballroom where he and his band performed almost all the time for the swingin’ 40s, during this time he earned then nickname “King of Western Swing.” Sometime around the 1930s he started going by “Spade Cooley” (Story goes that he won a game of poker with all spades three times).
Although Bob Willis and The Texas playboys were kicking up a swinging fuss in the east the title went to Cooley, as he was based in the western states and was making a small fortune off all his activities. Some point in time Wills and Cooley met up for a duel, and the title of ”King of Western Swing” went to Cooley in definitely. (Personally I enjoy Bob and the Texas playboys more).
“Spade” continued his work for movies an television, and continued to make Western swing records, amounting a mass fortune, enought to buy a 56-foot yacht, a ranch in the Mojave Desert, own hundreds of personalised cowboy suits for him and his band. He met a young 21 year old clarinet player, who was called Ella Mae Evans, they got married, settled down (well Ella Mae settled down at the ranch, Cooley continued to have flings and fool around while on tour). In the early 1950s Mr Cooley had his first heart attack, and with rock and roll
on the rise, his sales weren’t doing so good, Cooley, with his 15 million dollar fortune decided to invest, he wanted to build an outdoor water jet ski resort out in the desert (to challenge the newly opened Disney Land resort).
However come to the late 60s Cooleys mental health was declining, he started off firing and hiring the same band members he worked with for years, and the whole “Water Wonderland” investment wasn’t really working out, he became more abusive towards Ella Mae, more controlling towards her, accusing her and her close friends that she was sleeping around (however it was still Spade who was doing all of this).
One afternoon, Spade and Ella Maes 14 year old daughter (Melody) returned home, to find her father sitting in his front room, with blood on his trousers, as he stood up to greet her, Cooley said to her “Come with me, your mother wants to tell you something” and as the young girl was lead down the halls of the Mojave Ranch, towards the shower, she found her mother, unconscious, badly beaten and on the floor. Spade, dragged his wife, by the hair, threw her onto the floor and continued to beat and belittle his wife in front of his child, Cooley, threaten his daughter by telling her “if you don’t wake your mother, in 3 minutes, I’ll kill her in front of you“ (Ella Mae was already dead) Cooley left the master bedroom and proceeded to countdown, once over, he returned, and beat his wife some more. His daughter was able to escape and contact the police, Cooley was arrested for murder.
Cooley was put on trial, and due to his fame, the case has been referred to as or (compared to) “the original O.J Simpson case.” Cooley was spared execution as he pleaded insanity, and was sent to what has been described as a “health spa“ rather then a prison. Spade was pardoned by Ronald Reagan I’m 1965, Cooley toured for a few months, while on stage, he walked off and sat down said to a friend “I think it’s going to be alright for me” he suffered a major heart attack, and died there and then.
Thoughts on Space Cooley
Personally, I never listen to his stuff, but once I read about him. I thought I would give him a listen, his biggest hit “shame, shame on you” isn’t the best and I can see now why the title of “king of western swing” eventually went to Bob Willis. Furthermore what he done to his wife, and child is Of course wrong, and I find his last words rather ironic.
Album suggestions for Spade Cooley
Shame on you (1995) - Spade Cooley
The King of Western Swing (2020) - Spade Cooley
Link to Spotify Artist page