Joe Dowell

Joe Dowell (born January 23, 1940, Bloomington, Indiana) was an American pop singer. 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. "Wooden Heart", the first single released on Smash Records, shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. 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.[1] He had two further hits, "The Bridge of Love" (US #50) and "Little Red Rented Rowboat" (US #23),[2] but after struggles with his management he was dropped from the label. Dowell went on to work in radio advertising, and became a spokesman for banks. Bear Family Records began releasing Dowell's old material in the 2000's.