- Born
- Died
- Birth nameSheldon Allan Silverstein
- Nickname
- Uncle Shelby
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- Shel Silverstein was born on September 25, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and composer, known for Almost Famous (2000), Border (2018) and Thelma & Louise (1991). He died on May 10, 1999 in Key West, Florida, USA.
- Black and white illustrations, usually simplistic and sometimes stylized
- Humorous poems about absurd situations
- Bald head
- Thick beard
- He wrote the song "A Boy Named Sue" after attending a judicial conference in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (a town mentioned in the song), at which a featured speaker was a male prosecutor named Sue Hicks.
- His best-known books, "The Giving Tree" (1964) and "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (1974), were reissued in deluxe editions in 2004.
- Johnny Cash recorded two of Silverstein's poems, "A Boy Named Sue" (1969) which reached No. 2 on the Billboard "Hot 100". He also recorded "25 Minutes to Go", first released on his legendary comeback LP "At Folsom Prison" (1968).
- He wrote several songs for the 1970s group 'Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show'.
- Music composer, author and poet.
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