Abilene (song)
Encyclopedia
Abilene is the title of a song written by Bob Gibson
and John D. Loudermilk
, and recorded by American country music artist George Hamilton IV
. The song reached number one on the U.S. country music
chart
for four weeks, and peaked at number 15 on the pop music charts. George Hamilton IV performed "Abilene" in the 1963 movie Hootnanny Hoot.
Bob Gibson (musician)
Samuel Robert Gibson was a folk singer who led a folk music revival in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was known for playing both the banjo and the 12-string guitar. He introduced a then largely unknown Joan Baez at the Newport Folk Festival of 1959. He produced a number of LPs in the decade...
and John D. Loudermilk
John D. Loudermilk
John D. Loudermilk is an American singer and songwriter.-Biography:Born in Durham, North Carolina, Loudermilk grew up in a family who were members of the Salvation Army faith and was influenced by the church singing. His cousins Ira and Charlie Loudermilk were known professionally as the Louvin...
, and recorded by American country music artist George Hamilton IV
George Hamilton IV
George Hege Hamilton IV is an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, later switching to country music in the early 1960s.-Biography:Hamilton was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
. The song reached number one on the U.S. country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
for four weeks, and peaked at number 15 on the pop music charts. George Hamilton IV performed "Abilene" in the 1963 movie Hootnanny Hoot.
Background and writing
Bob Gibson was inspired to write the song after watching the Randolph Scott movie, "Abilene Town." The setting for the movie was Abilene, Kansas, the railhead town at the end of the Chisholm Trail. Gibson said that the song had often been erroneously thought to be about Abilene, Texas, a town named for the Kansas cowtown that had been established 24 years earlier.Chart performance
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 4 |