Leon Chappelear

Horace Leon Chappelear (b. Aug 1, 1909, Tyler TX, d. Oct. 22, 1962) was a guitarist, vocalist and bandleader who had a number of hit singles in the '30s and '40s. He worked closely with country legend Jimmie Davis, playing blues-style guitar on several of his albums. Davis would later prove instrumental to the development of Chappelear's career, helping him to get signed to Decca in the mid '30s. Chappelear already had recorded several memorable songs with his band, Leon's Lone Star Cowboys, including "Just Because" and "Deep Elm Blues," both recorded for the Victor label in 1933, but it was during his time at Decca that his career really took off. Between 1935 and 1937 he would record several dozen western swing singles for the label, before going on hiatus during World War II. Davis gave Chappelear a hand once again after the war, helping him this time to get a contract with Capitol. He underwent a bit of an image shift, recording under the name Leon Chappel and recording in more of a honky-tonk style. His hit single, "True Blue Poppa" was recorded during his time at Capitol and would later be revived by Frankie Miller. Chappel's career had, however been in decline for quite some time in 1962, when committed suicide by shooting himself. ~ Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide