Spade Cooley: In 1961, the ‘King of Western Swing’ was convicted of murder

Spade Cooley, the Western swing musician and broadcaster, was convicted in 1961 of murdering his wife, Ella Mae, a year after he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The article describes the conviction and the continued presence of his star as symbols of how his crime sat uneasily alongside his public image and was met by denial among some fans.

Cooley admitted to beating Ella Mae to death in front of their 14-year-old daughter after withdrawing an insanity plea. Friends campaigned for his release, and he was granted a three-day prison pass in 1969 to perform at an Oakland concert, where he received a standing ovation before collapsing with chest pains and dying of a heart attack, aged 58. The article also recounts his rise from fiddle player to recording and film star, radio and television performer, and self-styled “King of Western Swing”.