Biography
W.S. Stevenson served as the alias adopted by William A. (Bill) McCall, president of a record company during the 1950s, whenever he listed himself as co-writer on numbers he controlled and occasionally revised. Such tracks encompassed both material he purchased outright and compositions produced by writers bound to his Pasadena-based Four Star label. Widely disliked within music circles, McCall assumed control of the struggling imprint and promptly added emerging musicians, singers, and songwriters such as Patsy Cline and Donn Hecht to its roster. Those affiliated with the company could commit to tape solely the selections McCall approved, while covering every recording and ancillary expense from any resulting royalties. His added writing credits further entitled him to a share of publishing income. Among the works bearing the W.S. Stevenson co-credit are “There He Goes” (1955), “Stop, Look and Listen,” “I Love You Honey” (1956)—first cut by Patsy Cline—“Lonely Street,” later interpreted by the Everly Brothers and Emmylou Harris, “Hot Rod Lincoln,” “There She Goes” recorded by Jerry Wallace in 1961, “Three Cigarettes In An Ashtray,” popularized by Patsy Cline and subsequently revived by k.d. lang, and the widely covered “Am I That Easy to Forget?,” performed by Englebert Humperdinck, Marvin Gaye, George Jones, Debbie Reynolds, and numerous others.