Wendell Lee "Wendy" Bagwell was the founding member and leader of the Southern gospel music and comedy trio, Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters. Born in Chamblee, Georgia, on May 16, 1925, he joined with two young singers he met in church, Geraldine Terry, and Georgia Jones, to form the gospel trio. Bagwell was best known for his comedy monologues, notably the million-selling "Here Come the Rattlesnakes", an account of the trio's performance at a small church that engaged in snake handling. Bagwell died on June 13, 1996, and was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 1997.
