Biography of
Marilyn Myers Tuttle
by Stan Paregien, Sr.
Marilyn Myers was born on September 3, 1925 in Montebello, Calif. Her first role in a movie was in MGM's 1937 smash hit, "Maytime," starring Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald. Tiny, blond Marilyn can be seen as one of the kids dancing around a "May pole" that is supposed to be at a festival in Paris.
She also appeared a part of a dance troup in two of Shirley Temple's movies, "Little Rebel" and "Little Miss Broadway".
Later, Maryiln Meyers went to work in an office position for CBS studios. But she was also a fine singer.
At that time, Western movie star and singer Jimmy Wakely had a trio of female backup singers called "The Sunshine Girls". One of those harmony singers, Coleen Summers Hatfield, had a particularly strong and beautiful voice. She and other Sunshine Girls even appeared on screen with Wakely in 1944 in his Western movie, "I'm From Arkansas". But her husband believed that Wakely and Coleen were romantically involved, so he forced her to quit. And it was actually Marilyn's friend Wesley Tuttle who recommended to Wakely that he hire Marilyn. Wakely did so and Marilyn sang harmony with Jimmy for a year or so.
Unfortunately for Marilyn, Coleen Hatfield and her husband divorced and she asked for her old job back and got it. So Marilyn was out. And, as newscaster Paul Harvey often said, here is the rest of the story. Coleen Hatfield had also done some singing for Gene Autry and it was he who introduced her to guitarist Les Paul in 1946. And the rest is history. They went on the road as a team called, "Les Paul and Mary Ford". And just from 1950 to 1954, they had 16 "Top Ten" records.
Marilyn and Wesley Tuttle
On Feb. 9, 1947, Marilyn Myers married Wesley Tuttle. He was experiencing a period of great popularity, with hit records and concert tours and even parts in several Western movies.
Wesley Tuttle had a hit record, "Heartsick Soldier on Heartbreak Ridge" in 1951. And he made it back into the Top 20 list in 1954 with a song titled, "Never". His wife, Marilyn Tuttle, sang harmony with him on that record.
The photo at left shows Wesley & Marilyn Tuttle performing together in about 1950
Marilyn and Wesley Tuttle were regulars on the regional hit TV show, "Town Hall Party," in which Wesley and Johnnie Bond were intregal parts. It was a country-Western dance show, held on Friday and Saturday nights at an auditorim at 400 S. Long Beach Blvd., in Compton, Calif. (The auditorium is long gone, replaced by a strip mall.) Wesley eventually became the Music Director for that show, a show which airred for 1 hour on radio on Friday nights and 1 hour on TV on Saturday nights.And they regularly performed on the "Ranch Party," a nationally syndicated program that were normally recorded in a studio, not before a live audience. However, click here to watch a video of the song "Deep In the Heart of Texas" featuring several Ranch Party regulars including Tex Ritter, Larry Collins, and Marilyn Tuttle.You may also watch Tex Ritter singing "Old Chishom Trail" with Marilyn Tuttle standing directly behind him and singing backup. That section follows a brief instrumental featuring guitarists Joe Maphis and whiz kid Larry Collins.
Some videos of those performances have surfaced on YouTube. You can do a search and find performances by Marilyn Tuttle singing "Sugar Moon" (with Wesley Tuttle and Les "Carrot Top" Anderson singing harmony); Wesley and Marilyn singing "Red River Valley;" and Wesley Tuttle singing "Yodeling Boogie". You may also watch Marily Tuttle singing, "Honey Bun," backed by husband Wesley, and by Les "Carrot Top" Anderson and another unidentified male.
Marilyn Tuttle also cut a duet with Rose Lee Maphis called, "I Forgot About Him". It is now out on DVD as an album titled, "The Very Best of Melody & Western Ranch".Wesley Tuttle and his wife/singing partner Marilyn Tuttle were at the 1999 WMA Festival, meeting old and new friends, and sitting in on jam sessions and scheduled performances. Wesley even led a song during the cowboy church service on Sunday morning.
Casey Allen, Stan Paregien, Marilyn and Wesley Tuttle,
Mrs. Stuart Hamblen and daughter. 1999 WMA Festival in
Tucson. [Photo by Peggy Paregien]
My wife and I first met Wesley and Marilyn Tuttle in 1999. I was standing in a ticket line at Los Angeles International Airport, dressed in my cowboy outfit and waiting to get boarding passes for our flight to the Western Music Association Festival in Tucson, Arizon. The woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Pardon me, but are you headed for the WMA Festival?" It was Marilyn Tuttle.
She introduced Peggy and me to Wesley and we all hit it off right from the start. When we got to the Festival, our rooms were just a few doors apart. And this being our first Festival, Wesley and Marilyn took us under their wings. We ate meals with them several times and they introduced us to folks we had only admired from afar -- such as Rex Allen, Jr. and Belinda Gail.
Then they invited us to come visit them in their home in San Fernando, California. And a few weeks later, we did so. Wesley proudly showed me his office in his house where he had hundreds of transcripts and recordings of dozens of Western singers like himself. And we were just amazed as Marilyn showed us their family albums featuring candid photos of such neighbors and friends as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Eddie Dean, Jimmy Wakely, Tex Ritter, Merle Travis and many, many more. That was a very special weekend for us.
Wesley Tuttle died on Monday, Sept. 29, 2003, at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife, Marilyn, and sons Wesley Tuttle, Jr and Matt Tuttle.
Marilyn Tuttle has continued to support and encourage Western music and, in particular, the activies of the Western Music Association. And in her honor, the WMA in 2006 created the annual "Marilyn Tuttle Harmony Award".
Marilyn Tuttle wound up selling Wesley's collectible left-handed Gibson guitar, which he had purchased in about 1938, to none other than Doug Green, better known as "Ranger Doug" with the Western singing group, "Riders in the Sky". Doug had the guitar refurbished for a right-handed player, and he uses that guitar in many of their concerts.
Doug Green playing the guitar which Wesley Tuttle used from about
1938 until his death. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. January, 2008.
[Photo by Stan Paregien Sr.]
Early in June of 2008, Marilyn Tuttle called us to let us know that she was going to be in the Tulsa area. She said she wanted to visit the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. So we sat a day, June 17th, when Peggy and I could meet Marilyn and her traveling companion, Jai Belcher, and her son and daughter-in-law, Wes and Sharon Tuttle (Dallas, Texas) at the museum. We had a great time.
Left to right: Jai Belcher, Peggy Paregien, Marilyn Tuttle, Sharon &
Wes Tuttle. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma
City. June 17, 2008. [Photo by Stan Paregien Sr.]
Stan Paregien & Marilyn Tuttle - June 17, 2008
[Photo by Peggy Paregien]
Marilyn Tuttle continues to live at the family home in San Fernando, California. She is on the Board of Advisors of the Western Music Association. And she is a frequent visitor at Western music shows and festivals all over the USA.
See Wesley Tuttle's own listing in this directory for more details of his life.
Copyrighted 2008
by Stan Paregien Sr
