Trivia

Tailor, specializing in elaborate Western wear and, later, rock clothing.

Frist tailor to set rhinestones in clothing, in the 1930s.

In 1957, made the gold lame suit for Elvis Presley, which became famous and is featured on the cover of the 1959 compilation album "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong." Nudie became friends with Tom Parker, Elvis' manager.

Made the red leather suit worn by John Lennon in which he appeared in on the 1975 "A Salute to Sir Lew Grade" television tribute, his last TV appearance as a performer.

Made an Elvis-like gold lame suit for ur-Dylan folk singer Phil Ochs that was widely ridiculed when the "folkie" Ochs went electric very late in his career in the 1970s.

In the early years, he dressed country singers Spade Cooley, Cliffie Stone, Lefty Frizzell, and Tex Williams & his band. But it was in the early 1950s, dressing Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (eventually becoming their custom tailors) that made him famous.

His customers included Gene Autry, eternal sidekick Pat Buttram, Cher, Tony Curtis, Elton John, Michael "Little Joe" Landon, former R.K.O. contract player Big Bob Mitchum, "Death Valley Days" front-man Ronald Reagan, Hank Snow, and The Duke (Marion Morrison, a.k.a. "John Wayne").

He dressed the rock groups America, Chicago, and ZZ Top.

He made the famous suit festooned with marijuana leaves for Gram Parsons when the infamous rock star was a member of The Flying Burrito Bros., all of whose members were clad in Nudie. He and Parsons became friends.

Made the famous suit adorned with musical notation symbols worn by Hank Williams (Senior).

Dressed the "Rhinestone Cowboy" himself, Glen Campbell.

In his career, he designed 18 custom automobiles featuring silver studs, rhinestones, Colt .45s and cattle horns. Seventeen were sold and he kept one, a 1975 Cadillac El Dorado. One of his custom-made autos, complete with bull horns from a genuine steer mounted on the front of the hood, was featured in the Monkees' movie "Head" (1968).

Friend Dale Evans delivered the eulogy at his star-studded funeral attended by many of his clients.

One of his custom-designed, Western-themed automobiles, a 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville, hangs above the bar at country singer Buck Owens's Crystal Palace entertainment complex in Bakersfield, California. Owens won it in a poker game with Nudie and later bought a '72 Grande Ville "Nudiemobile." Though Nudie gussied up Cadillacs, he preferred Pontiacs as they were among the longest cars in the world.

Made a custom-designed automobile for Elvis Presley, which was rejected by The King's entourage, who feared their flamboyant boss might order a whole fleet of "Nudiemobiles" for his "Memphis Mafia" sidekicks if he laid eyes on the car. Elvis already was proud owner of a gold-plated Cadillac. Both the Cadillac and one of Nudie's cars are in the Country & Western

The legendary Hank Williams, Buck Owens and Roy Rogers all wore their Nudie suits to the grave.

His wife Helen Kruger, born 29 July 1913, nick-named Bobbie Nudie, died April 7, 2006 in Valencia, California.