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 Stobaugh first met his future wife Lorraine Dinquel in 1938.Danielle Hatch: Peorian's song to late wife goes viral, Peoria Journal Star, August 27, 2013 The couple married in 1940 and later had three daughters.Lorraine Stobaugh – Obituary, legacy.com His wife died on April 26, 2013, only two months before the couple's 73rd wedding anniversary.
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.A Letter From Fred, vimeo.com
In September 2013 the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 42, making him the oldest artist to appear on the Hot 100.Fred Stobaugh, 96, Becomes Oldest Artist To Appear On Hot 100 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. The next week, Green Shoe Studio posted several follow-up documentary videos on Fred's story and the public's response.A Letter From Fred: The Complete Story, a 6-part series , greenshoestudio.com. Retrieved 22 January 2015. He died in November 2016 at the age of 99.
Discography Title Year Peak chart positions USBEL(Fl) CHGreen Shoe Studio feat. Jacob Colgan & Fred Stobaugh – Oh Sweet Lorraine, hitparade.ch ATÖ3 Austria Top 40 Single Charts , oe3.orf.at "Oh Sweet Lorraine" 2013 42 42 31 14 "Took Her Home"2014
References
External links A Letter From Fred at greenshoestudio.com