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Fred Stobaugh

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Fred Stobaugh
BornAugust 22, 1917
DiedNovember 23, 2016 (aged 99)
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
Known forWriting Oh Sweet Lorraine
Spouse
Lorraine Dinquel
(m. 1940; died 2013)
Children3 daughters

Fred Stobaugh (August 22, 1917 – November 23, 2016) was a retired truck driver from Peoria, Illinois who became a viral sensation as a songwriter. A documentary video about the making of the song Oh Sweet Lorraine, based on a text that Stobaugh wrote for his wife of 72 years, became a viral video in September 2013. The song based on his text subsequently entered the Billboard Hot 100 as well as other international charts.

Life and work

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Stobaugh first met his future wife Lorraine Dinquel in 1938.[1] The couple married in 1940 and later had three daughters.[2] His wife died on April 26, 2013, only two months before the couple's 73rd wedding anniversary.[1]

A few months later he wrote the song Oh Sweet Lorraine and entered a singer-songwriter competition hosted by Green Shoe Studio. The video of their recording sessions attracted more than seven million hits on YouTube and Vimeo.[3][4][5]

In September 2013 the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 42, making him the oldest artist to appear on the Hot 100.[6] It also entered the Swiss Hitparade and the Ö3 Austria Top 40. On August 22, 2014, his 97th birthday, Stobaugh released a second song, Took Her Home.[7] The next week, Green Shoe Studio posted several follow-up documentary videos on Fred's story and the public's response.[8] He died in November 2016 at the age of 99.[9]

Discography

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions
US
[6]
BEL
(Fl)

[10]
CH
[11]
AT
[12]
"Oh Sweet Lorraine" 2013 42 42 31 14
"Took Her Home" 2014

References

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  1. ^ a b Danielle Hatch: Peorian's song to late wife goes viral, Peoria Journal Star, August 27, 2013
  2. ^ Lorraine Stobaugh – Obituary, legacy.com
  3. ^ "96-year-old widower Fred Stobaugh becomes YouTube sensation with song 'Oh Sweet Lorraine'". Fox News. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  4. ^ A Letter From Fred on YouTube
  5. ^ A Letter From Fred, vimeo.com
  6. ^ a b Fred Stobaugh, 96, Becomes Oldest Artist To Appear On Hot 100
  7. ^ "Hot 100 Record-Breaker Fred Stobaugh, 97, Returns With New Song". Billboard. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  8. ^ A Letter From Fred: The Complete Story, a 6-part series, greenshoestudio.com. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Fred Stobaugh Obituary - Bartonville, IL".
  10. ^ "Discography Fred Stobaugh". ultratop.be. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  11. ^ Green Shoe Studio feat. Jacob Colgan & Fred Stobaugh – Oh Sweet Lorraine, hitparade.ch
  12. ^ Ö3 Austria Top 40 Single Charts Archived 2012-06-18 at the Wayback Machine, oe3.orf.at
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