He reached number one in the UK singles chart with the 1955 track Rose Marie .

Slim Whitman, the American country singer known for his yodelling abilities, has died at the age of 90. His son-in-law confirmed he died of heart failure overnight on Wednesday at Orange Park Medical Centre in Jacksonville, Florida.

Whitman had a string of hits in the 1950s and through the 1970s.

His 1955 song, Rose Marie, held the record for the longest reigning number one single in the UK until Bryan Adams broke the record in 1991.

Born Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr in Tampa, Florida, in 1923, Whitman spent time in the Navy before embarking on a music career, which began after he was approached by Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who heard him singing on the radio.

Signed to RCA Records, he released his first single, I'm Casting My Lasso Towards the Sky, in 1948.

Breakthrough

It marked the beginning of a career spanning some six decades during which he recorded more than 65 albums and sold millions of records worldwide.

Having struggled for the first few years of his musical career, Whitman's breakthrough hit came in 1952 with his cover of Bob Nolan's Love Song of the Waterfall, which peaked at number 10 in the US country chart.

While considered to have been more popular in Europe and particularly the UK than his native America, his 1952 track Indian Love Call and 1954 song Secret Love, both reached number two on the US Billboard country chart.

He had a further two top five hits in the US that same year.

Whitman's signature ebony moustache and sideburns inspired countless jokes, thanks to the TV adverts that promoted his music.

But he was a serious influence on music at the time and encouraged a young Elvis Presley when the singer made his professional debut.

In an interview with the BBC in 1973, Whitman recalled working with Presley in 1955.

"He was just a guy on the show," he said, adding: "And then he started wiggling and then he took over the show".

Filmography

Whitman was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry following the success of Rose Marie, which spent 11 weeks at the top of the UK singles chart. It reached number four in the US.

Known for his mellow, romantic melodies, he became the first country singer to play the London Palladium in 1956.

He followed the appearance with a string of hits in the UK including Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Unchain My Heart, and I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen in 1957, another UK top 10 hit.

He also appeared in the rock and roll film musical Jamboree in 1957, along with a host of other music stars, including Carl Perkins and Fats Domino.

During the 1960s, Whitman had a series of minor country hits in the US, including More Than Yesterday in 1965, Rainbows Are Back in Style in 1968 and Tomorrow Never Comes released in 1970.

He continued to record in the early 1970s and was a guest on Wolfman Jack's popular TV music show on NBC, The Midnight Special.

"The material I did was lasting material,'' Whitman said in 1991.

"A lot of people thought I wasn't doing anything, but I was in the studio. The biggest factor is the material you choose. You hunt, you cut."

He was introduced to a much younger audience when his rendition of Indian Love Call was featured in the 1996 film Mars Attacks!

In 2003, Rob Zombie used Whitman's song I Remember You in his directorial debut, House of 1000 Corpses.

Whitman released his latest album, Twilight on the Trail, in 2012 - his first new studio record in 26 years.

Whitman told the AP news agency in 1991 he wanted to be remembered as "a nice guy."

"I don't think you've ever heard anything bad about me, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'd like my son (Bryon) to remember me as a good dad. I'd like the people to remember me as having a good voice and a clean suit," he said.

Whitman is survived by his daughter, Sharon Beagle, and his son, Byron Whitman.

Two years after the release of her debut long player Dreams & Chances country music starlet Tori Darke is releasing the fifth and final single from the album before she heads into the studio to record her next release. The single, No You No Me, showcases a different side to Tori and provides the perfect bridge to her next album. The track showcases this impressive performer’s ability to take it back a notch and turn her impressive vocals to heartfelt ballads.

For Tori, there was something about the song that captivated her from the first time she heard it. Penned by Michael Davey, John Bettis and Chris Robins, the track is one of those great country love stories. “When I first heard No You No Me there was something special about the lyrical content and the story in this song,” says Tori. “I immediately fell in love with it. I chose the track as my fifth and final single because all my previous singles have been country rock up-tempo tracks. I always said that my last song to be released off my album would be a ballad. I could not have picked a more deserving song than No You No Me.”

When looking for tracks for her Dreams & Chances album, Tori wanted to find a strong ballad and the storyline behind No You No Me captivated Tori instantly. “The song tells a great country love story of being broken hearted,” she says. “I was able to connect with the song straight away, as it made me think of how I would feel if my special someone wasn’t in my life. I love the lyrics and the story of No You No Me and I felt as though I could relate to it.”

The track, like Tori’s entire debut album, was recorded at The House of Blues in Nashville. Recorded under the guidance of producer Michael Davey (who co-wrote No You No Me), Tori spent dedicated time in the studio, laying down all of the tracks for the album in one hit. “Firstly we put the music down for each song individually, then bringing in the additional instruments required for each song,” she says. “The second stage of the process was putting down my vocals, which we did over several days in Michael’s studio. Then finally we added in the backing vocals. Over the next few months, Michael worked on the actual production of the album to get it ready for mastering and release.”

As Tori releases the No You No Me single to radio, she is back in Nashville on a songwriting trip, gathering material for her second long-player. “The trip to Nashville was strictly to finish writing tracks for my upcoming album, which I hope to release towards the end of this year, or early 2014,” Tori says. “I’ve been in Nashville for five-weeks so I’ve been doing lots of co-writes, a few song writing nights and I also performed at the Tomkins showcase. It has been a fabulous trip and I have met up with so many industry people from both Nashville and Australia, who have been a wonderful support. I am very excited about bringing home my new songs and to be able to share them with everyone at home in Australia.”

The future looks bright for Tori Darke. She’ll be releasing the first single off of her second album before the end of the year and hitting the road with fellow artist Kate Cook for a string of tour dates. “The rest of this year and next year are going to be very exciting,” Tori says. “I can’t wait to see it unfold!”

An organic blend of roots, country rock/blues and modern bluegrass from an infectious and inspiring personality. Intelligent lyrics, killer hooks and memorable melodies only begin to describe her latest release.

‘Bring It Back’ is her third studio album and was produced and mixed under the helm of Matt Fell and Michael Carpenter after the success of her previous album, ‘Extraordinary Daze’.

Sydney born and bred, it’s hard to figure where Merilyn’s influence to be a singer/songwriter came from. Although both her Mum and Grandmother played piano, it was mostly for a hobby. It was Merilyn’s Dad who bought her first guitar when she was just 12 and began taking her to music lessons. From there her love for music developed. The mandolin is her latest muse and Merilyn is already incorporating this instrument into her shows and recordings and is learning about bluegrass style music and it’s roots.

Growing up her musical tastes were influenced by her parents who were fans of Johnny Cash, Barbra Streisand, The Seekers and Dolly Parton. Today her influences are more contemporary and include Kasey Chambers, Powderfinger, Alanis Morisette, Bonnie Raitt and Lady Antebellum.

Merilyn has a driving passion for her music and a craving to perform. Particularly, she loves the feedback and buzz she gets from a live audience. An experienced performer, she has worked successfully for many years with her duo around Sydney, the east coast and festivals. She has now formed her own band to enable her to showcase her songs and talents and is eager to tour the country and share her songs with audiences throughout Australia and beyond.

A song that aptly describes the current pace of life today is Merilyn Steele's 'Whirlwind', featuring Robbie Long on dobro and mandolin with some great solo's. It's a rousing modern bluegrass number sure to get you clapping your hands and slapping your knees! [MP3]http://itscountry.com.au/music/Merilyn Steel Whirlwind a.mp3[/MP3]

‘His New Baby’, is the debut single from Melbourne based singer Michael Edwards. The track features Hamish Davidson on fiddle and dobro and was produced by Brendan Marolla, producer/musician who has also worked with Ron Sellars and Doug Bruce.

The track was written by Nashville hit-maker Blake Mevis (George Strait, Joe Nichols & Loretta Lynn) and his co-writers Tony Ramey and Lane Turner. ‘His New Baby’ is the first single to be lifted from Michael’s self-titled EP to be released on July 17^th.

Michael is a self-taught musician (drums and guitar) and has always been interested in music - particularly country music from an early age. ''Most of my childhood was spent pretending I was in the spotlight and the lead singer of a very famous country band,” says Michael who grew up listening and admiring Conway Twitty, Keith Whitley, George Strait and Elvis Presley.

Have a listen to "His New Baby" here [MP3]http://itscountry.com.au/music/His New Baby.mp3[/MP3]