Meri Wilson

While singing some jingles in a Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas studio in early 1977, she caught the attention of former Bloodrock vocalist Jim Rutledge from Fort Worth, who introduced her to music producer Boomer Castleman. Wilson began recording for his BNA Records label and taped her self-composed song "Telephone Man" based on her brief affair with a Dallas telephone technician installing the phone in her new apartment there.[2]

Filled with suggestive lyrics and her breathy squealing voice, the song became a surprise hit single, climbing the UK Singles Chart to No. 6, spending ten weeks in the listings,[1] as well as making it to No. 9 in Ireland and New Zealand[3] and No. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It reached No. 42 in Australia,[4] and was also a minor hit in Canada (No. 76).[5]

It became a gold record, selling over one million copies in the U.S. alone.[1] The song became a favorite on the "Dr. Demento Radio Show". "Telephone Man" and "Telephone Line", ELO's song, were back-to-back on the Hot 100's top 40 for two non-consecutive weeks in the summer of 1977.[6]

On the strength of the song's hit, she rapidly put together a full album of songs after quickly being signed with the GRT Records label and released her first and only album, First Take. Unfortunately, although the album contained two more released singles, a second novelty "Rub-A-Dub-Dub" and "Midnight In Memphis", it yielded no further hits, and after her novelty's appeal waned, she went back to singing jingles, modelling and song writing. She also continued to write more novelty songs, including "Peter The Meter Reader," "Dick The DJ", "Santa's Coming," and "My Valentine's Funny," but none of the songs matched the success of her first release. She became known as a "one-hit wonder".[7]

After singing locally in Atlanta, Georgia for more than two decades and occasionally touring on novelty song circuits, in 1999 Meri Wilson released an updated version of "Telephone Man", called "Internet Man". It became a drive-time radio airplay song, which resulted in her getting a deal with Time-Warner Records.

Wilson died on December 28, 2002, at the age of 53, in a car accident on Georgia State Route 377 in Americus, Georgia, during an ice storm. Ansley Records released a self-titled album in 2002,[8] which included all of her known recorded novelty songs.

• TOPPOP: Meri Wilson – Telephone Man on YouTube