MOORE, WINSTON LEE [SLIM WILLET] (1919–1966). Winston Lee Moore, known as "Slim Willet," songwriter, disc jockey, record producer, and television personality, was born in Victor, Texas, on December 1, 1919. He was the son of Luther and Fannie Moore. The Moore family moved to Clyde, and Willet graduated from Clyde High School in 1935. He married Jimmie Crenshaw in Clyde in 1938. They had two sons, Ted and Tim.
After serving a brief stint in the U.S. Army during World War II,qv Willet returned to the Abilene area and later entered Hardin–Simmons University. While working as student manager of the school radio station, he adopted the ironic pseudonym Slim; he was far from slender. He took the name Willet from his favorite comic strip, "The Willets." Upon graduation from Hardin–Simmons in 1949, he went to work for radio station KRBC as an advertising salesman and disc jockey. He had already begun writing songs, including "Pinball Millionaire," which was recorded by both Hack Locklin and Gene O'Quin. Willett began his recording career in 1950 with the Dallas-based Star Talent label. He formed the Hired Hands, and his first release, his own "I'm a Tool Pusher from Snyder" (later changed to "Tool Pusher on a Rotary Rig"), was one of the songs with which he became most associated. In 1952 he recorded "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes." Released nationally on Four Star Records, the song reached number one on Billboard's country and western chart, and at one time there were four versions of "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" in the C&W Top 10. Perry Como also took the song to the top of Billboard's pop chart.
At the height of his popularity, Willet was making regular guest appearances on the "Big 'D' Jamboree"qv in Dallas, the "Louisiana Hayride"qv in Shreveport, and the "Town Hall Party" in Compton, California. Although he never had another hit to match "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes," he continued to write and record. In 1956 he formed the Edmoral and Winston labels to release not only his own recordings but also those of area performers such as Dean Beard, Hoyle Nix,qqv Curtis Potter, Darrell Rhodes, and Jimmy Seals. Willet even dabbled with the emerging rockabilly sounds of the day and recorded some sides under the name Telli W. Mils, the Fat Cat ("Telli W. Mils" is "Slim Willet" spelled backwards). In 1962 he released Texas Oil Patch Songs, an album devoted to life in the oilfields.
While continuing with his radio activities, Willet set up an advertising agency to handle local promotional ventures. In this capacity, he booked Elvis Presley's first appearance in Abilene in 1955. Willet was also a pioneer in live television as host of the "Big State Jamboree" on KRBC–TV. The weekly variety-show format provided exposure for many area performers, including the young Larry Gatlin. Willet left his disc jockey job at KRBC in 1957 and joined radio station KNIT. In 1964 he became general manager of KCAD, one of the few full-time country musicqv radio stations in the state.
The combination of radio, recordings, and television made Willet well-known in the Abilene area. He apparently died of a heart attack on July 1, 1966. He was elected to the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in 1994.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Abilene Reporter–News, December 24, 1995. Dick Grant, "Slim Willet: Smell That Sweet Perfume," Rockin' Fifties, June 1998. Paul Kingsbury, ed., The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).
Joe W. Specht
