Shel Silverstein was a very interesting and creative man. He is best known for his popular children’s books, such as The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. His works are often compared to Dr. Seuss and A.A. Milne (creater of Winnie the Pooh). Even though his poems are at times very silly and dare I say crude, but that’s why they were loved by children around the world (his books have been translated more than 30 languages).

But Uncle Shelby (which he often called himself in his children’s books) created some great works for adults, in particular his songwriting. I recently stumbled across the 1972 song Sylvia’s Mother by the band Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show. The song is about a man calling up his ex-girlfriend desperate to speak with her one more time before she moves away, but her mother refuses to put Sylvia on the phone. It’s terribly sad song and I was impressed to find out it was written by Silverstein.

I later found out Silverstein penned many country-western hits:

• A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash
• 25 Minutes to Go by Johnny Cash (similar to his poem I’m Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor)
• The Unicorn by The Irish Rovers
• The Cover of the “Rolling Stone” by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
• One’s on the Way by Loretta Lynn

If you want to explore the musical side of Shel Silverstein you can download his album The Best of Shel Silverstein for FREE from Freegal. All you need is your library card number and pin, but keep in mind, you are limited to 3 (DRM-Free) downloads a week.

Do you have a favorite song by Uncle Shelby?