Virgil Doyle Wilburn - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Doyle Wilburn first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry in 1940 with older brothers Lester and Leslie, but child labor problems force them off of the Opry after a few months. Following their brief Opry stint they returned to their native Arkansas, where their popularity lead to them to Shreveport, Louisiana and appearances on The Louisiana Hayride.

Doyle and his younger brother Theodore (Teddy) Wilburn served in the Korean War from 1951-1953 and upon their discharge resumed entertaining as “The Wilburn Brothers.” For the next 34-years The Wilburn Brothers were regulars on the Grand Ole Opry and were one of the most popular country acts. They had their own TV show, which helped launch the career of Country Music Superstar Loretta Lynn.
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Description: Virgil Doyle Wilburn was born on July 7, 1930 in Hardy, Arkansas an began his entertainment career when he started to play music and sing on local radio stations as part of the Wilburn Family, which was made up of two older brothers and a sister. In 1940, Grand Ole Opry Star Roy Acuff saw the Wilburn Family perform in Birmingham, Alabama and a short time later the family was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. The Wilburn Family became very popular on the Opry and attracted a large amount of interest from Opry Fans, but after about 6-months the Family was ask to leave because of problems with child labor laws. The family returned to Arkansas and continued to perform locally and became very popular on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport. In 1951 Doyle and is younger brother Theodore (Teddy), were drafted into the United States Army and serve in Korea. Both Doyle an Teddy were discharged from military service in 1953 and began to working as a brother act opening for such major entertainers as Webb Pierce, Faron Young and Ernest Tubb and eventually returning to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1955, Teddy and Doyle recorded “I Wanna Wanna Wanna,” which became the first of many Wilburn Brothers hits to appear on the Country Music Charts. In the following years The Wilburn Brothers had several Top 10 country hits, including, “Go away with Me,” and “It’s Another World.” The Wilburn Brothers were at the height of their popularity in the 1960’s when they had a number of Top 5 hits including, “Trouble’s Back in Town,” and “Roll Muddy River.” They also hosted their own network television show, which featured a young Loretta Lynn and also obtained a Decca Recording contract for her. The also founded Wil-Helm Talent, which became one of Nashville’s top booking agencies, handling many of the major stars. In 1972, The Wilburn Brothers had their last chart recording with “Arkansas,” but remained one of the Opry’s most popular acts throughout the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Doyle Wilburn died on October 16, 1982 in Nashville. Following Doyle’s death, Teddy continued to appear on the Grand Ole Opry often with his older brothers Lester and Leslie. Teddy Wilburn died on November 24, 2003. Both Doyle and Teddy Wilburn are buried in the Nashville National Cemetery. Source/Credit:http://www.tcmradio.com/news/October/0ct16b.htm Date of birth: 07/07/1930 Date of death: 10/16/1982 Area of notoriety: Entertainment Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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