1923 – American country music and western singer Ottis Dewey “Slim” Whitman was born in Tampa on this date. Whitman was known for his songwriting and his yodeling abilities. He preferred to write love songs and cover pop hits over traditional “down on your luck” country tunes, which became very popular overseas, especially England. It is purported that Whitman sold over 120 million records during his career. He spent most of his life on his estate just south of Orange Park in northeast Florida.