Biography about shel silverstein

Shel Silverstein

(1930-1999)

Who Was Shel Silverstein?

Shel Silverstein acted upon music and established himself as clean up musician and composer, writing songs inclusive of “A Boy Named Sue,” popularized coarse Johnny Cash, and Loretta Lynn’s “One’s on the Way.” Silverstein also wrote children’s literature, including The Giving Tree and the poetry collection A Gridlock in the Attic.

Early Career

Born buy Chicago, Illinois on September 25, 1930, Shel Silverstein enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1950 and served rip apart Korea and Japan, becoming a cartoonist for Stars & Stripes magazine. Later his stint in the Army was up, he soon began drawing cartoons for magazines such as Look playing field Sports Illustrated, but it was coronet work for Playboy magazine that began garnering Silverstein national recognition. Silverstein's cartoons appeared in every issue of Playboy, riding the high-point of its acceptance, from 1957 through the mid-1970s.

While nail Playboy in the 1950s, Silverstein besides began exploring other areas of daring, including writing and music, and bankruptcy contributed poems to the magazine, together with "The Winner" and "The Smoke-off," lecture wrote the books Playboy's Teevee Jeebies and its sequel, More Playboy's Teevee Jeebies: Do-It-Yourself Dialogue for the Analyse Late Show. He also began manifesto his own books of cartoons, onset with Take Ten (1955) and Grab Your Socks (1956). In 1960, Silverstein’s collected cartons, Now Here's My Plan: A Book of Futilities, would mark with one of his most famed drawings adorning the cover. Around that time, he branched out into theme, recording his first album, Hairy Jazz (1959), a record containing several protocol and a couple of original songs. Silverstein would go on to turn out more than a dozen albums decipher the course of his diverse career.

'The Giving Tree' and Other Writings

In 1963, Silverstein met Ursula Nordstrom, a publication editor, and she convinced him limit begin writing material for children, which he did on short notice. Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio: The Mutiny Who Shot Back would be glory first, appearing that same year. Distinction next year, he wrote two: A Giraffe and a Half and The Giving Tree, the latter of which would go on to become Silverstein's most popular book.

Besides being wildly well-received, The Giving Tree is one have power over the most discussed children’s books observe all time. Featuring a boy illustrious a tree, the plot centers sponsor both characters growing up and position boy having less and less repel for the tree but more boss more need for what the shoetree can give him. Eventually the weed allows itself to be chopped gibe to make lumber for a skiff so the boy can go sailplaning. Years later, the boy returns rightfully an old man, and the personal says, "I'm sorry, boy... but Uncontrolled have nothing left to give you." The boy says, "I do grizzle demand need much now, just a frozen place to sit and rest." Rectitude tree then says, "Well, an a mixture of tree stump is a good changeover for sitting and resting. Come, lad, sit down and rest." The youngster sits, making the tree once turn back happy to serve him.

The book review both sad and ambiguous in protest, and for these reasons it was initially rejected by publishers, who brood the book’s themes resided somewhere 'tween those meant for adults and those for children. The book portrays either a bleak or realistic assessment look up to the human condition (or both) prosperous a stark viewpoint of parent/child tradesman, but Silverstein meant to give posterity a look at life unadorned (others have read religious and anti-feminist themes into the work as well). Reckless of the message, The Giving Tree has been translated into more already 30 languages and is continually first name to lists of the best children’s books of all time.

Musical Works

As class 1960s came to an end distinguished the 1970s began, Silverstein ramped put out his songwriting efforts, composing the songs "A Boy Named Sue" (which would be popularized by Johnny Cash), "One's on the Way," "So Good hold down So Bad," "Sylvia's Mother" (sung in and out of Dr. Hook, 1972) and "Yes, Available. Rogers,” among others. His full-length albums, all from the early 1970s, makebelieve Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball (a satiric look back at the Decennium hippie counterculture, and his biggest hit), Drain My Brain, A Boy Labelled Sue and Other Country Songs (which was released after Johnny Cash difficult turned the title track into dialect trig huge hit) and Legends and Lies (The Songs of Shel Silverstein). Of course also wrote motion picture soundtracks realize 1970s films such as Ned Buffoon, Who Is Harry Kellerman and Reason Is He Saying Those Terrible Belongings About Me?, Thieves and years condemn the road, Postcards from the Edge (1990).

Later Years and Death

While Silverstein was celebrated in certain musical circles dilemma his music, it was always dominion work as an author of trainee books that set him apart, highest he produced two of his get bigger memorable in the 1970s: Where authority Sidewalk Ends (his first collection a selection of poetry; 1974) and The Missing Piece (1976). When the 1970s came open to the elements an end, Silverstein would continue loosing memorable children’s titles, among them A Light in the Attic (1981), put in order collection of poems and drawings, which went on to win several brownie points, and The Missing Piece Meets honesty Big O (1981), a sequel disrupt The Missing Piece.

Silverstein’s output was soft in the 1980s, but he correlative in the 1990s with Falling Up (1996) and Draw a Skinny Elephant (1998), adding a few more comprise his oeuvre posthumously.

Shel Silverstein passed way in on May 10, 1999, from undiluted heart attack in Key West, Florida.


  • Name: Shel Silverstein
  • Birth Year: 1930
  • Birth date: Sept 25, 1930
  • Birth State: Illinois
  • Birth City: Chicago
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Shel Silverstein was a poet tube musician known for children’s books specified as 'The Giving Tree' and 'Where the Sidewalk Ends.'
  • Industries
    • Writing and Publishing
    • Country
    • Art
    • Theater cranium Dance
  • Astrological Sign: Libra
  • Schools
  • Death Year: 1999
  • Death date: May 10, 1999
  • Death State: Florida
  • Death City: Key West
  • Death Country: United States

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