Fred Stobaugh

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 73 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.

Fred Stobaugh
BornAugust 22, 1917
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 23, 2016 (aged 99)
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
Known forWriting Oh Sweet Lorraine
Spouse(s)
Lorraine Dinquel
​
​
(m. 1940⁠–⁠2013)​
(her death)
Children3 daughters

Life and work

Stobaugh first met his future wife Lorraine Dinquel in 1938.[1] The couple married in 1940 and later had three daughters.[2] His wife died on April 26, 2013, only two months before the couple's 73rd wedding anniversary.[1]

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.[3][4][5]

In September 2013 the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 42, making him the oldest artist to appear on the Hot 100.[6] It also entered the Swiss Hitparade and the Ö3 Austria Top 40. In August 2014 on his 97th birthday, Stobaugh released a second song, Took Her Home,.[7] The next week, Green Shoe Studio posted several follow-up documentary videos on Fred's story and the public's response.[8] He died in November 2016 at the age of 99.[9]

Discography
Title Year Peak chart positions
US
[6]		 BEL
(Fl)
[10]		 CH
[11]		 AT
[12]
"Oh Sweet Lorraine" 201342423114
"Took Her Home" 2014

References
  1. Danielle Hatch: Peorian's song to late wife goes viral, Peoria Journal Star, August 27, 2013
  2. Lorraine Stobaugh – Obituary, legacy.com
  3. "96-year-old widower Fred Stobaugh becomes YouTube sensation with song 'Oh Sweet Lorraine'". Fox News. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  4. A Letter From Fred on YouTube
  5. A Letter From Fred, vimeo.com
  6. Fred Stobaugh, 96, Becomes Oldest Artist To Appear On Hot 100
  7. "Hot 100 Record-Breaker Fred Stobaugh, 97, Returns With New Song". Billboard. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  8. A Letter From Fred: The Complete Story, a 6-part series, greenshoestudio.com. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  9. http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Fred-Stobaugh&lc=4206&pid=182794397&mid=7181276
  10. "Discography Fred Stobaugh". ultratop.be. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  11. Green Shoe Studio feat. Jacob Colgan & Fred Stobaugh – Oh Sweet Lorraine, hitparade.ch
  12. Ö3 Austria Top 40 Single Charts Archived 2012-06-18 at the Wayback Machine, oe3.orf.at
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