This Whitesville (Boone County) native was a songwriter, musician, poet, and playwright. After high school, he studied English and later went to Yale to study playwriting.

He performed twice at Carnegie Hall and wrote more than 500 songs, including "Jackson," "Coward of the County," and "Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back." His song "Coal Tattoo" is a powerful tribute to coal miners. Artists ranging from Johnny Cash, to Elvis Presley, to Kenny Rogers recorded his songs.

Wheeler also wrote plays, including Hatfields & McCoys, and published books of poetry and humor. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000 and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2007. His memoir came out in 2018.