Shel Silverstein
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Sheldon Alan “Shel” Silverstein (25th September 1930 – 10th May 1999) was an American poet, songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children’s books.
Silverstein’s passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for “A Boy Named Sue” that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); “One’s on the Way” (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and “The Unicorn Song” which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including “Cover of the Rolling Stone”, “Freakin’ at the Freakers’ Ball”, “Sylvia’s Mother”, and the cautionary song about VD, “Don’t Give a Dose to the One You Love Most”. He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including “Marie Laveau”, “Rosalie’s Good Eats Cafe”, “The Mermaid”, “The Winner”, and “Tequila Sheila”.
Silverstein’s passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for “A Boy Named Sue” that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); “One’s on the Way” (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and “The Unicorn Song” which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including “Cover of the Rolling Stone”, “Freakin’ at the Freakers’ Ball”, “Sylvia’s Mother”, and the cautionary song about VD, “Don’t Give a Dose to the One You Love Most”. He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including “Marie Laveau”, “Rosalie’s Good Eats Cafe”, “The Mermaid”, “The Winner”, and “Tequila Sheila”.
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Where the Sidewalk Ends
Shel Silverstein
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A Light In The Attic
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Freakin' at the Freakers Ball
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The Best Of Shel Silverstein
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Shoutbox
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blackendmehrdad wrote:
legend
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MohammadReza20 wrote:
His books are so popular in Iran.
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dharmanaut wrote:
I'm concerned my all time favorite shel silverstein's entire album is censored and hopefully talking about doesnt result in me getting censored: Fuck 'Em, which is, if, i can paradoxically engage in hyperbole, the most brilliant deconstruction of apathy, cannaboid or other, every built. how do things come to lastfm?
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Strawb77 wrote:
i saw polly in a porny with a pony and it damn near blowed my mind- rofl!
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mehdi483 wrote:
I love my right hand! RIP you pervert
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ParadiseCove wrote:
Arggh.....can hardly bear it! Drink ON.....: )
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NathanHess wrote:
<3 http://youtube.com/watch?v=1TZCP6OqRlE&feature=related The Actual 1973 Giving Tree Movie, read by Shel Silverstein
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nooneastern wrote:
join the Shel Silverstein group
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Skiye wrote:
brilliant man.
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Marxism1 wrote:
I love your voice.
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B-AIRLINE wrote:
ALWAYS GOOD FOR A LAUGH
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rockerandy wrote:
Uncle Shelby, You are the shit and my hero and i would roll em faster faster than anyone could smoke!i aint paranoid i know you shit in my pecan pie!
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Himmelhost wrote:
Where can I get The Ugliest Man in Town?
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JoshCIVM wrote:
No one has affected me so poignantly and consistently throughout my life. The Giving Tree and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O are huge influences on my life.
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ErzengelM wrote:
Oh my God! It's Shafutinsky!
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abouc wrote:
Freakin' at the Freakers Ball is one of the best albums Ive ever heard. Top notch musicians and hilarious lyrics make for a truly enjoyable listening experience.
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JackSzwergold wrote:
Genius.
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arms4wardraise wrote:
the world has been poorer with his passing
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wheelsfalloff wrote:
Hey I found that at an op-shop for 2 bucks! Its funny how Dr.Hook plummeted into a cheesy hole of suckiness once Shel stopped writing for them.
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notunique wrote:
actually some of his best work is on the album Inside Folk Songs also rereleased as Inside Shel Silverstein. it is only on Vinyl to my knowledge, but would be worth picking up if found for a decent price.
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Recent Activity
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lyubove1, demon59 and deviger added Shel Silverstein to their libraries. yesterday afternoon
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nooneastern tagged Shel Silverstein with children, spoken word and solo. last month
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Herky1975 connected Shel Silverstein to the group Musik für Fans und Freunde, music for fans and friends. last month
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MohammadReza20 connected Shel Silverstein to the group Persian Gulf. August 2011
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blaircramer, laylawknee, Tanimal01 and 7 other people added Shel Silverstein to their libraries. August 2011
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torsocorso tagged Shel Silverstein with ‘love4ever’. May 2011
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dannyp1981, cadaver11, Jessmika79 and 6 other people added Shel Silverstein to their libraries. May 2011
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smee85 uploaded PNG to Shel Silverstein’s images. April 2011
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