7 / 11
as a vocalist and showman, however, likely made
him his own worst enemy when it came to
carving out a distinctive legacy for future
generations to remember.
Whether it be smooth countrypolitan polish,
rough-hewn backwoods toe-tappers, funny off-
kilter novelties, earnest recitations, or rockabilly-
infused boppers, one could pick virtually any
theme and assemble a solid collection of Ferlin
Husky material. This compilation features 32
examples of Ferlin’s ability to capture the verve
of country bop, proto-rockabilly, and the rural
strains that informed early rock and roll. He pulls
it off, not because he’s putting us on, but because
the music is truly a part of him. But that style is
just one of many sides of Ferlin Husky. Perhaps
his varied talents and abilities kept Ferlin from
ever being truly comfortable in his own skin. Or
perhaps he was the only one who was
comfortable in an industry fixated on
categorization. We’ll probably never know, and
keeping the public guessing was yet another of
Ferlin’s carefully honed skills. One place where
he was always comfortable, however, was behind
a microphone, where he was in full command of
whatever material he chose to tackle.
* * *
Though Ferlin’s story has been printed many
times, the precise biographical details of his life
can be hard to pin down. When one compares
the various bios and journalistic profiles that have
been written over the years, the sum of the
information is inconsistent or incomplete. That’s
partially because Ferlin was always in motion
and seemed intent on fitting several lifetimes’
worth of experiences into his limited spins around
the sun. Keeping track of his movements was
never an easy task.
Another contributing factor is the tendency of
record labels and publicity agents from Ferlin’s
era to include inaccurate information on album
notes or official press releases. Husky’s birth
year, for example, was often listed as 1927, rather
than 1925. Similarly, some of his marriages were
downplayed, while others were seemingly
ignored. When he died in 2011 various obituaries
reported conflicting data about the number of
children and ex-wives Ferlin left behind. For
those keeping score, it appears he was married
at least six times (to five different women) and
had ten children.
Yet another of the reasons for the difficulty in
putting together an accurate profile of the artist
dubbed ‘Mr. Showman’ is that Ferlin could be
intentionally vague or misleading. Ferlin,
8
PREVIEW