Abilene Reporter-News
Saturday Morning, July 2, 1966

Funeral Here Sunday For Song Writer Slim Willet

Funeral for Winston Lee Moore, 46, song writer and radio station owner widely known as Slim Willet, will be at 2 p.m. Sunday in South Side Baptist Church with Dr. W. Truett Walton, vice president of Hardin-Simmons University, and Dr. H.O. Wynn, pastor, officiating.

Burial will be in Victory Cemetery, near De Leon, under direction of Elliott's Funeral Home. Graveside rites will be at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Slim died at 7:10 a.m. Friday in Hendrick Memorial Hospital following an apparent heart attack he suffered about 9 a.m. Monday at the hospital where he had gone for treatment of a respiratory ailment.

Owned Radio Station

He was the owner of western music radio station KCAD here.

National fame became a part of Slim's life when in 1952 the song he composed, "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes," scored high in the old Lucky Strike Hit Parade radio show. The Perry Como presentation of the song sold more than a million copies, and there were at least 12 others who had made recordings of the juke box and radio famed song.

For 19 weeks following its release on June 10, 1952, Slim's most popular tune was listed among the 10 top songs in the nation and had climbed to the top of the nation's songs. For two weeks Slim's tune was No. 1.

Top Record Sales

By the second week in January of 1953, Billboard Magazine reported that the "Stars" song had topped record sales and sheet music sales across the nation.

Sheet music of "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" was published in French, Spanish and Japanese, as well as English, among other languages. The original manuscript of the song has been placed in the Library of Congress.

In 1950, when he was 31, Slim had about two years' of song-writing experience behind him. That year his composition "Pinball Millionaire" achieved national publicity through two recording artists, and ranked third among the nation's Top Ten songs. "Pinball Millionaire" was Slim's first song to be recorded.

But Slim didn't always let someone else record first the songs he had written. Released on the Star Talent label were his own recordings of "I'm a Tool Pusher From Snyder" and "I'm Going Strong."

Wrote "G.I. Bill"

Slim's first attempt at song-writing was in 1949 when as a student at Hardin-Simmons University, he scribbled during chapel "Living on the G.I. Bill," which was a humorous take-off of his experiences. With aid of the GI Bill of Rights, he graduated from H-SU in 1949 with the bachelor of arts degree in journalism.

During the following year, he reportedly had written about 25 songs and sold eight of that number to publishers.

In 1949, when a senior at H-SU, Slim was manager of the campus radio station, KHSU, and feature editor of The Brand, H-SU student newspaper.

When KHSU was being prepared in 1949 for its initial broadcast, Slim constructed the studios and control room for the new station. He conducted the daily musical program "The Hitchin' Post." He wrote several songs and radio plays during his tenure at KHSU. Several of the plays were presented over local commercial radio stations.

Slim began working as an advertising salesman for KRBC radio here three days following graduation from H-SU.

Disc Jockey

By 1950, Slim was playing the guitar and singing each Saturday morning over KRBC, as well as doing a disc-jockey program Wednesday nights. He also was singing with the station's muscial feature, "Hillbilly Circus," during that time. In December of 1950, Slim was receiving royalty from eight songs.

"If all my songs made money at the rate 'Pinball Millionaire' does, it would be foolish to work," the artist said, and added, "but I'm not counting my records before they turn." That was some 1-1/2 years before his "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" was recorded and published.

Wrote Other Songs

A sample of other songs written by Slim includes "Saucers in the Sky," "Tattletale Moon," "Let Me Know," and "Live While You're Young and Dream While You're Old."

He entered H-SU as a freshman in 1947, and completed the normally four-year course in 31 months. In June of 1964, after 13 years with other Abilene radio stations, he became general manager of KCAD. Somewhat hefty, he referred to himself as "Little ole Slim."

He was born Dec. 1, 1919, at Victor, in Erath County, and moved to Clyde with his parents in 1935. He graduated from Clyde High School that year.

Slim married Jimmie Crenshaw Aug. 20, 1938, at Clyde. He was a veteran of World War II.

Survivors include his wife of the home, 817 Leggett Dr.; two sons, Ted Moore of Houston and Tim Moore of the home; a grandson, Tommy Moore of Houston; two sisters, Mrs. William Gayle of Abilene and Mrs. Marie Cass of Canada; and a brother, Omar Moore of Marlin.