I identify completely with the shyness at that age and all the way through high school. Never did get up enough courage to walk a girl home after school every day, let alone hold her hand, so kudos for doing that.
That's an amazing memory of an amazing time in your life. This is like the behind the scenes story that plays on the periphery of fame, but may actually be just as compelling, if not more, as the main story line. It's cool that Bill Trader was able to sell some of his songs and hopefully that at least lifted them out of poverty, but it would have been nice if Shirley, let alone you, would have had a chance to say goodbye.
It looks like A Fool Such As I was recorded several times by various artists, but until today, this was the only version I'd ever heard, so I guess that makes it my favorite. :)
I went through grade school being almost terminally shy and have a few srories about that, especially about Elsie. It is so strange about Shirley being an exception and I have never sorted that out. She was a head taller than the other girls and her hair was long, making her look even taller. I think I could tell she was self conscious and had no friends and I felt protective. Maybe. I was not that comfortable around girls after Shirley and did not even hold hands until the fall beginning my Senior year, and that didn't last long.
Yep, Elvis did a better job on the song, but with his voice and production, he could have sung about tin cans and it would have sounded great. Simplicity was the hallmark of early C&W music, and all that made a quick change after Bill Haley and the Comets came along...then the entire world changed with the Beatles. I still listen to them.