Uncle Willie
[This is Sleepy Jeffers]
Bicycle 1370-45-1176
[Charleston, WV]
Custom pressed by King Records in 1968
Chocolate Ice Cream Cone
Famous Lashua, Spitzer Songs, Inc. (BMI)
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| Uncle Willie in his last Sleepy Jeffers TV show George I. "Sleepy" Jeffers (1922-1992) |
From his obituary :
George I. "Sleepy' Jeffers, the man who created the children's television character "Uncle Willie,' has died in Charleston Area Medical Center's General Division after a short illness.
One of his trademarks was bidding farewell to his youthful viewers by saying "bicycle' as he wagged his bow tie. However, Jeffers also entertained viewers in Charleston and Huntington for years with country music, folk humor and inspirational hymns. He began his career at age 10 on a Cincinnati radio station and went on to perform on "The Magic Valley Jamboree,'"The Sleepy Jeffers Show' and "Uncle Willie and the Flintstones.'
Jeffers served in the Marine Corps, touring as a performer during World War II. In 1944, he entertained with Gene Autry and Jack Dempsey. In Charleston, he joined WCHS Radio and Television, working the overnight radio shift and appearing on the "Buddy Starcher' country music program each morning. After Starcher's departure, the program evolved into "The Sleepy Jeffers Show.'