Readers to Witness the Rise and Fall of Spade Cooley

A gripping story of fame, family, and murder awaits readers as veteran writer-author Ellen Melinkoff gives readers a glance at the King of Western Swing's life. In this recently published book, Spade Cooley: A Novel, people will get to know Donnell Clyde Cooley, a Western swing musician, big band leader, and television personality, who was convicted for killing his second wife.

In the 1940s and '50s, Spade Cooley, the King of Western Swing, played to sellout crowds at the Santa Monica Ballroom. He charmed audiences with his fine fiddling, self-deprecating manner, and bounce-all-over-the-stage exuberance. Adapting his ballroom show for live television, The Spade Cooley Show began broadcasting in 1948 and made Cooley the top local television entertainer for several years.

He married one of his band singers, Ella Mae Evans. Their fifteen-year marriage was plagued with Cooley's drunk and jealous rage and ended with Cooley beating his wife to death. The front-page trial ended with Cooley's conviction in 1961. But how will Cooley fare inside the prison walls—and out of the limelight?

Spade Cooley: A Novel lets readers follow the rise to stardom and the rock-bottom fall of one of the well-admired and applauded musicians of the twentieth century.

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About the Author
Ellen Melinkoff h Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) as been a full-time freelance writer for more than twenty years. She has written for the Los Angeles Times, Sunset, and other magazines and websites. She is also the author of four non-fiction books, including What We Wore: An Offbeat Social History of Women's Clothing, 1950–1980. She lives in Los Angeles.

Spade Cooley: A Novel * by Ellen Melinkoff
Publication Date: September 25, 2010
Trade Paperback; $15.99; 265 pages; 978-1-4535-3112-9
Trade Hardback; $22.99; 265 pages; 978-1-4535-3113-6
eBook; $9.99; 978-1-4535-3114-3

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