Wink Martindale
Millions of Americans know Winston Conrad as game show host Wink Martindale. Few know that he once waxed a record, "Deck of Cards," that reached the number seven position on Billboard's Top 100 pop chart in November 1959. Martindale was born in Belle, TN, on December 4, 1934. As a teenager he realized his gift of gab, and school friends gave him the moniker Wink. He worked as a radio announcer before hosting Teenage Dance Party in Los Angeles on KHJ-TV in 1959. Randy Wood, the head of Dot Records, spotted Martindale's potential, booked studio time, and cut "Deck of Cards." The spoken word recording was a remake of a T. Texas Tyler's record that went to number 21 pop in 1948. Previously, Martindale recorded for OJ Records in 1954, so this was not his first time in the studio. Dot tried to follow the hit with other recordings but all failed; the most successful was his cover of Frankie Miller's "Black Land Farmer," which bottomed out at number 85 on the charts. While his recording career went south, Martindale became a fixture on daytime television. Since 1978 he has hosted Tic Tac Dough, Last Word, and Debt, among others.
© Andrew Hamilton /TiVo
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Discography
10 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Big Bad John & Deck of Cards
Pop - Released by Sepia on 1 Dec 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Winking At Life: God, Country, Mom & Apple Pie
Pop - Released by Century Hill Recordings, LLC on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Les idoles de la musique country : Wink Martindale, Vol. 1
Country - Released by Mpm on 21 Mar 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All the Best
Country - Released by Don't stop the music on 3 Feb 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wink Martindale - Vintage Sounds
Country - Released by Retro Music Box on 4 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Deck Of Cards (Billboard Hot 100 - No. 07)
Classical - Released by Music Manager on 19 Dec 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wink Martindale - Vintage Selection
Country - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 14 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beyond the Sunset - Wink Martindale
Country - Released by ISIS on 26 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo