Game-show host Wink Martindale has died, age 91. Here's some info about
his earlier music career:

As a vocalist, Mr. Martindale recorded about 20 single records and seven albums. His 1959 spoken-voice narrative recording, “Deck of Cards,” sold more than a million copies, earning him a gold record, a designation by
the Recording Industry Association of America for records that sold
500,000 copies or more. “Deck of Cards” also brought him an appearance
on the Ed Sullivan variety show, where he told the tale of a young
American soldier in North Africa who is arrested and charged with
playing cards during a church service.

Mr. Martindale received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and
was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of
Fame in 2007.

Winston Conrad Martindale was born in Jackson on Dec. 4, 1933, to James
A. and Frances M. (Mitchell) Martindale. After graduating from high
school in 1951, he attended Memphis State College (now the University of Memphis), where he landed his first disc jockey gig at a local station,
earning $25 a week. He graduated with a degree in speech and drama.

“I think that I was born with a desire to be a radio announcer,” he was quoted as saying. “I always had that great desire to sit behind a
microphone. My first ‘mic’ was two paper cups attached to a string. It wasn’t long before I was sitting behind the real thing.”

He later ascended to WHBQ in Memphis, a powerhouse station in the South,
where in 1954 he notably secured an on-air interview with Elvis Presley
— by calling his mother — after the release of Presley’s first record, “That’s All Right.”

Mr. Martindale moved to Los Angeles in 1959 and was featured on several
radio stations in and around that city, including KMPC, which was known
then as the “Station of the Stars,” owned by the “singing cowboy” and actor Gene Autry. Even after finding his calling in television as a game
show host, Mr. Martindale was the station’s midday personality for 12
years starting in 1971.

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On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 1:17:15 +0000, DianeE wrote:

Game-show host Wink Martindale has died, age 91. Here's some info about
his earlier music career:

As a vocalist, Mr. Martindale recorded about 20 single records and seven albums. His 1959 spoken-voice narrative recording, “Deck of Cards,” sold more than a million copies, earning him a gold record, a designation by
the Recording Industry Association of America for records that sold
500,000 copies or more. “Deck of Cards” also brought him an appearance
on the Ed Sullivan variety show, where he told the tale of a young
American soldier in North Africa who is arrested and charged with
playing cards during a church service.

"And friends,the story is true...I know...I WAS that poor fuck who heard
this crap every time he turned the radio on back then........."

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On 4/16/2025 2:05 AM, Roger wrote:

On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 1:17:15 +0000, DianeE wrote:

Game-show host Wink Martindale has died, age 91.  Here's some info about
his earlier music career:

As a vocalist, Mr. Martindale recorded about 20 single records and seven
albums. His 1959 spoken-voice narrative recording, “Deck of Cards,” sold >> more than a million copies, earning him a gold record, a designation by
the Recording Industry Association of America for records that sold
500,000 copies or more. “Deck of Cards” also brought him an appearance >> on the Ed Sullivan variety show, where he told the tale of a young
American soldier in North Africa who is arrested and charged with
playing cards during a church service.

"And friends,the story is true...I know...I WAS that poor fuck who heard
this crap every time he turned the radio on back then........."

-----------
Agreed. What surprised the hell out of me is that he recorded 20
singles and *seven albums*! Imagine if they were all like "Deck of Cards"!

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On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:45:56 +0000, DianeE wrote:

On 4/16/2025 2:05 AM, Roger wrote:

On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 1:17:15 +0000, DianeE wrote:

Game-show host Wink Martindale has died, age 91.  Here's some info about >>> his earlier music career:

As a vocalist, Mr. Martindale recorded about 20 single records and seven >>> albums. His 1959 spoken-voice narrative recording, “Deck of Cards,” sold
more than a million copies, earning him a gold record, a designation by
the Recording Industry Association of America for records that sold
500,000 copies or more. “Deck of Cards” also brought him an appearance >>> on the Ed Sullivan variety show, where he told the tale of a young
American soldier in North Africa who is arrested and charged with
playing cards during a church service.

"And friends,the story is true...I know...I WAS that poor fuck who heard
this crap every time he turned the radio on back then........."

-----------
Agreed. What surprised the hell out of me is that he recorded 20
singles and *seven albums*! Imagine if they were all like "Deck of
Cards"!

Unbelievably his "Deck Of Cards" charted on no less than THREE different occasions here in Britain---being 1959 (on first release),1963 and 1973

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On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:32:48 +0000, mariabus@blueyonder.co.uk (Roger)
wrote:

On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:45:56 +0000, DianeE wrote:

On 4/16/2025 2:05 AM, Roger wrote:

On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 1:17:15 +0000, DianeE wrote:

Game-show host Wink Martindale has died, age 91.á Here's some info about >>>> his earlier music career:

As a vocalist, Mr. Martindale recorded about 20 single records and seven >>>> albums. His 1959 spoken-voice narrative recording, ôDeck of Cards,ö sold >>>> more than a million copies, earning him a gold record, a designation by >>>> the Recording Industry Association of America for records that sold
500,000 copies or more. ôDeck of Cardsö also brought him an appearance >>>> on the Ed Sullivan variety show, where he told the tale of a young
American soldier in North Africa who is arrested and charged with
playing cards during a church service.

"And friends,the story is true...I know...I WAS that poor fuck who heard >>> this crap every time he turned the radio on back then........."

-----------
Agreed. What surprised the hell out of me is that he recorded 20
singles and *seven albums*! Imagine if they were all like "Deck of
Cards"!

Unbelievably his "Deck Of Cards" charted on no less than THREE different >occasions here in Britain---being 1959 (on first release),1963 and 1973

I agree that is is as you say. The first version of it was in 1948 by
T. Texas Tyler.

According to Wikioedia:
"Though Tyler wrote the spoken-word piece, the earliest known
reference is to be found in an account/common-place book belonging to
Mary Bacon, a British farmer's wife, dated 20 April 1762. The story of
the soldier can be found in full in Mary Bacon's World. A farmer's
wife in eighteenth-century Hampshire, published by Threshold Press
(2010). The folk story was later recorded in a 19th-century British
publication entitled The Soldier's Almanack, Bible And Prayer Book."

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On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:32:48 +0000, mariabus@blueyonder.co.uk (Roger)
wrote:

Unbelievably his "Deck Of Cards" charted on no less than THREE different >occasions here in Britain---being 1959 (on first release),1963 and 1973

A bit surprising. I thought very few Brits were religious, far less so
than Americans at least.

Surely you would have be, or verging on being, a 'bible thumper'' to
enjoy this song if you follow the lyrics?

Here are some amusing non-religious variations of "Deck Of Cards":

Red River Dave - The Red Deck Of Cards [Decca] - 1954
{Korea, not WWII Cassino}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsAXgYxWY3Q

Simon Crum {aka Ferlin Husky} - A Hillbilly's Deck of Cards [Capitol]
- 1955
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKAG48sEMVk

Ray Stevens - High School Yearbook [NRC] - 1959 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ggxIo7-pgs

As for the original religious lyrics, I have .mp3 versions by:

Wink Martindale
"T" Texas Tyler [4 Star] - 1948
Nelson King [King] - 1948
Phil Harris [RCA] - 1948
Tex Ritter [Capitol] - 1948
Merle Travis [Capitol unissued] - 1948
Dick Curless [Tiffany;;Boston] - 1960

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On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:32:48 +0000, mariabus@blueyonder.co.uk (Roger)
wrote:

On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:45:56 +0000, DianeE wrote:

On 4/16/2025 2:05 AM, Roger wrote:

On Wed, 16 Apr 2025 1:17:15 +0000, DianeE wrote:

Game-show host Wink Martindale has died, age 91.á Here's some info about >>>> his earlier music career:

As a vocalist, Mr. Martindale recorded about 20 single records and seven >>>> albums. His 1959 spoken-voice narrative recording, ôDeck of Cards,ö sold >>>> more than a million copies, earning him a gold record, a designation by >>>> the Recording Industry Association of America for records that sold
500,000 copies or more. ôDeck of Cardsö also brought him an appearance >>>> on the Ed Sullivan variety show, where he told the tale of a young
American soldier in North Africa who is arrested and charged with
playing cards during a church service.

"And friends,the story is true...I know...I WAS that poor fuck who heard >>> this crap every time he turned the radio on back then........."

-----------
Agreed. What surprised the hell out of me is that he recorded 20
singles and *seven albums*! Imagine if they were all like "Deck of
Cards"!

Unbelievably his "Deck Of Cards" charted on no less than THREE different >occasions here in Britain---being 1959 (on first release),1963 and 1973

THE SOLDIER'S ALMANACK, BIBLE AND PRAYER BOOK"
From "The History Of Playing Cards With Anecdotes Of Their Use In
Conjuring, Fortune-Telling And Card-Sharping"
Edited by Rev. Ed. S. Taylor, B.A.
Published in London in 1865

https://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/thesoldiersalmanackbibleandprayerbook.html

13 months in a year reference: https://blog.calendartruth.info/2017/03/22/history-of-the-13-month-28-day-calendar/

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