Johnny Horton
Encyclopedia
John Gale "Johnny" Horton (April 30, 1925–November 5, 1960) was an American
country music
and rockabilly
singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s. With them, he had several major successes, most notably during 1959 with the song "The Battle of New Orleans" (written by Jimmy Driftwood
) which was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
. The song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award
, and during 2001 ranked No. 333 of the Recording Industry Association of America
's "Songs of the Century
".
During 1960, Horton had two other successes with "North to Alaska
" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska
, and "Sink the Bismarck." Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
.
, to John and Claudia Horton, the youngest of five siblings, and raised in Rusk
, Texas
. His family often traveled to California often as migrant fruit pickers. After graduation from Gallatin High School during 1944, he attended the Methodist-affiliated Lon Morris College
(then named Lon Morris Junior College) in Jacksonville, Texas
, with a basketball scholarship. He later attended Seattle University and briefly attended Baylor University
, although he did not graduate from any of these institutions.
Horton soon went back to California where he found work in the mail room of Hollywood's Selznick Studio. It was here that he met his future wife, secretary Donna Cook.
Horton and older brother Frank briefly pursued the study of geology at Seattle during 1948 but both ended after a few weeks. He went to Florida, then back to California before Horton left for Alaska to look for gold. It was during this period that he began writing songs. He joined Frank in Seattle, went south to Los Angeles, then after Frank married, left for Texas. After much prompting from his sister Marie, he entered a talent contest at the Reo Palm Isle club in Longview, Texas
, sponsored by radio station KGRI in Henderson. Hosted by station radio announcer and future country music star Jim Reeves
, Horton won first prize—an ashtray on a pedestal. Encouraged by the contest, he went back to California, bought some Western-style clothes and entered talent contests.
Horton came to the attention of entrepreneur Fabor Robison, whose first job as manager was to give him a job with Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree on KXLA-TV in Pasadena. During his early guest performances he worked with musicians such as Merle Travis
and Tennessee Ernie Ford
. The station then gave him a regular half-hour Saturday night program billed as the Singing Fisherman, during which he sang and displayed his casting skills with a fishing rod. Around this time he also hosted the radio program Hacienda Party Time for KLAC-TV in Los Angeles.
A mixture of Horton's television performances and Robison's acquaintances earned him a couple of singles with the minor Cormac recording company. The first single coupled "Plaid And Calico" with "Done Rovin'" and the second "Coal Smoke, Valve Oil and Steam" with "Birds and Butterflies". The company then terminated and Robinson acquired the masters and started his own company named Abbott Records. By mid 1952, ten Horton singles had been issued but none were very successful. They were, for the most part, ordinary Western-style songs.
After marriage to Donna and a honeymoon in Palm Springs, he relocated back east to be near the Louisiana Hayride
where he was then scheduled to appear on a regular basis. Robison persuaded Mercury Records A&R man Walter Kilpatrick to hire Horton, who began with his songs "First Train Headin' South" b/w "(I Wished for an Angel) The Devil Sent Me You" (Mercury 6412), with good reviews by the trade newspapers.
Horton was married twice. His first marriage, to Donna Cook, ended with a divorce granted in Rusk. During September 1953, he married Billie Jean Jones
. Jones was the widow of country music singer Hank Williams, to whom she had been married for the two and one-half months prior to his death. With Billie Jean, Horton had two daughters, Yanina (Nina) and Melody. Billie Jean's daughter, Jerry, was also part of the family.
. While playing in Beaumont, Horton and Robison heard the Trio and were sufficiently impressed to offer them a job touring. They started driving Johnny to their engagements, but he kept stopping to fish and hunt, so they soon bought him his own car with which he met them at the various venues. The new foursome recruited Bob Stegall but still termed themselves The Singing Fisherman and the Rowley Trio, before changing the name to Johnny Horton and the Roadrunners.
Louisiana Hayride had been playing for more than four years when Horton joined its cast, and during this time he helped many careers including those of Elvis Presley
, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce
and Bob Luman
.
Horton was, by now, a Shreveport resident. His marriage didn't survive the increasing touring and Donna relocated back to Los Angeles. He was amenable to a reconciliation, but was unwilling to go back to the West Coast. During August, Louisiana Hayride welcomed back Hank Williams, only 28 years old but banished from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry for what some considered as his drunkenness and unreliability. On October 19, Williams married Billy Jean Jones, the daughter of a local policeman, in front of a paying audience at New Orleans' Municipal Auditorium. On one occasion during the time Billie Jean and Hank were married, Horton talked to the couple backstage, and at that meeting, Hank predicted that Billie Jean would one day marry Horton. He remained a Hayride member until his death.
By New Year's Eve, Hank Williams was dead. He had died in the back seat of a Cadillac traveling to a show in Canton, Ohio. Horton and the Rowleys were driving home from a gig when they heard the news by radio. They were in Milano, Texas and it was there after a show at Austin's Skyline Club (the same venue as Williams' last show) that Horton was killed seven years later in a car accident.
It was during this time that country music was changing due to influence by the new rock music. With the example of Elvis Presley, rockabilly was becoming more common both on records and on country music bills, with Hayride one of the most progressive in this respect. It was during that program that Horton first saw Presley, and apparently he immediately liked the singer and the style.
Horton then asked Hayride stalwart Tillman Franks
for some advice. Five years older than Horton, Franks had played bass for Webb Pierce
, managed the Carlisles and Jimmy & Johnny
, worked as a booking agent,
a car salesman in Houston and served on the police force. He too was unemployed. "I hadn't worked in four or five weeks when Johnny Horton come to the door. He was broke too. He and Billie Jean had spent the money they got after Hank died, and she'd told him to get his ass out and make some more. He said "If I can get Tillman Franks to manage me, I'll get to number one". He came to my house on Summer Street, and I told him that I just didn't like the way he sang. He said, "No problem. I'll sing any way you want me to". And he was serious!".
They'd already met in Mississippi, when Horton had toured with the Carlisles. By mid 1955 Franks had assumed control of the management, and after the end of the Mercury contract, his first job was to find a new company. After communicating with Webb Pierce, who in turn talked to Jim Denny at Cedarwood and Troy Martin at Golden West Melodies, a one-year contract with Columbia was forthcoming. Cedarwood and Golden West Melodies would both get publishing on two songs per session as part of the deal. With no advance and a session due in Nashville, the duo had to borrow David Houston
's father's car for the journey, with the promise that they'd try to get Houston a contract while they were there.
and producer Owen Bradley's brother, Harold. The first song played was the mid-tempo rockabilly "I'm a One Woman Man", composed by Horton and Franks. Howard Crockett (Hausey) had played "Honky Tonk Man" to Horton and Franks and after a quick rewriting of the tune, they split the credits three ways. It was the second song cut that day. By midnight, Don Law and Franks had completed two more songs, "I'm Ready if You're Willing" and "I Got a Hole in My Pirogue". Horton and Franks wanted "Honky Tonk Man" to be the lead-off single but Don Law didn't like the song, and it was only after the intervention of Jim Denny that Law relented and issued it with "I'm Ready if You're Willing" on the flip side. Live shows were arranged to advertise the single with the band featuring Franks playing bass and a teenager from Minden, Louisiana, Tommy Tomlinson, playing guitar.
The single was reviewed by the March 10 issue of Billboard, which said of "Honky Tonk Man", "The wine women and song attractions exert a powerful hold on the singer, he admits. The funky sound and pounding beat in the backing suggest the kind of atmosphere he describes. A very good jukebox record." Of the B-side, it read "Horton sings out this cheerful material with amiable personality. This ever more popular stylist ought to expand his circle of fans with this one." By May the record had scored No. 9 on the C&W Jockey chart, as well as No. 14 on the Best Seller chart.
To earn extra money, Horton established a fake ticket agency whereby he telephoned the citizens of Alexandria, Louisiana selling tickets by the name Earl Baker, with Billie Jean delivering them the next day. Franks thought that Billie Jean was keeping some of the money, but discovered he was wrong.
Franks assumed control of the Hayride bookings, organizing performances in the South. Horton was contracted for his Monday night performances on KLTV-TV in Tyler, Texas, which restricted how far away he could tour. He wanted to end the contract, so on one of the shows, when it was time to read a commercial for Hol-Sum Bread, he announced "Friends, we are proud to be here, and proud to be sponsored by Hol-Sum Bread. Tillman Franks my manager eats Hol-Sum Bread, and I eat it too. What I like about Hol-Sum Bread is that it's never touched by hand. That's right, they mix it with their feet". After the show, the station owner called him and said she'd be happier if he stopped working for the station. Now he was free to travel, and he started earning as much as $500 a night.
On May 23 they went back to Music City for a second session. Grady Martin again led the proceedings with Ray Edenton replacing Harold Bradley and Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance standing in on double bass. They began at 7 p.m. with "Take Me Like I Am" before doing the Horton-Hausey composition, "Sugar-Coated Baby". It was one of those mid-tempo tracks at which Horton was to excel, with playful vocals and Martin's bass string guitaring. Claude King
's "I Don't Like I Did" was another such song. The fourth cut was Autry Inman's ode to women, "Hooray For That Little Difference".
The next single (Columbia 21538) had "I Don't Like I Did" on the B-side but the header was "I'm a One Woman Man" from the January session. Billboard enthused that "One Woman" was a "Smart and polished job," adding that Horton was "singing with a light, airy touch. Guitar work is just as convincing, adding up to listenable, commercial stuff".
By August, Columbia and Franks ran an advertisement in Billboard claiming their "Sensational New Artist goes on a spree with his newest two-sided hit". The accompanying photo did nothing for the image of a rocker, showing him looking middle-aged with a cowboy hat to hide his receding hair. The campaign continued with a tour of western Texas starting in El Paso with Johnny Cash
, Faron Young
and Roy Orbison
. Booked by Bob Neal Stars Inc. of Memphis, the group moved to Ontario, Canada for six dates commencing on the 18th, culminating in Detroit.
Billboard's first issue in September noted that "Somewhat like his last hit - "Honky Tonk Man" - this release (I'm A One Woman Man) started off rather quietly, but has gradually become a powerful chart contender. This week it made an appearance on the Houston territorial chart and was selling well in Nashville, Dallas, Durham and Birmingham". Within a week or so he was rewarded with a second country hit, this time maximizing at No. 7 on the Jockey chart and No. 9 on both the Best Seller and Jukebox charts.
On October 14, after shows throughout Florida, Horton played in Memphis again for Bob Neal, this time with Johnny Cash, Faron Young, Sonny James
, Roy Orbison and the Teen-Kings and Charlene Arthur. They continued around Tennessee until the 23rd, before continuing to New Mexico and West Texas. It must have been a confident crowd that arrived at Bradley's Barn on November 12. Only two songs were produced, the unissued "Over Loving You" and the rockabilly "I'm Coming Home", composed by Horton and Franks.
"I'm Coming Home" was released with "I Got A Hole In My Pirogue" on the flip side (Columbia 40813). Released as the same time as the Johnny Burnette Trio's "Lonesome Train" (Coral 61758) and Rosco Gordon's "Cheese and Crackers" (Sun 257), Billboard predicted that "the singer, has material in I'm Coming Home that could give him his biggest record to date". Horton's vocal against this twangy backing makes a terrific impression. "Pirogue" is a rockabilly type novelty song of great appeal. It's hard to see how this can miss becoming a gold mine". On February 9, Billboard noted that "not only Southern markets are doing good business with this, but Northern cities report that both country and pop customers are going for this in a big way". It was again a success on the country charts (No. 11 Jockey, No. 15 Best Seller) but it failed to score the popular music charts.
He loved fishing as much as, if not more than, singing and was once billed as The Singing Fisherman. His favorite fishing holes were in the Piney Woods of East Texas and in northern Louisiana. His other passion was spiritualism
and he was devoted to the writings of spiritualist Edgar Cayce
.
, Texas
on November 4, 1960.
When they got to the Skyline club, Horton stayed in his dressing room, saying that a drunk would kill him if went near the bar. After the show, they started the 220-mile (350 km) journey back to Shreveport. Tomlinson was in the back, observing that Horton was driving too fast - Franks was asleep in the front. About 2 a.m., near Milano, Texas they were crossing a bridge when a truck came at them, hitting both sides of the bridge before plunging into Horton's Cadillac. Horton had practiced avoiding head-on collisions by driving into ditches, but on the narrow bridge he had no opportunity. He was still breathing when he was pulled out of the car but died on the way to the hospital. The 19-year-old truck driver, James Davis, was intoxicated. Franks suffered head injuries and young Tomlinson had multiple leg fractures and nine months later, had his left leg amputated. Davis was virtually unscathed.
Tillman's preacher brother, Billy, performed the funeral service on November 8, with Billie Jean becoming a widow for the second time at the age of 28. Johnny Cash read Chapter 20 from the Book of John, having flown in on a chartered airplane.
Columbia released various singles and a greatest successes album and on October 5, 1964, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three overdubbed "Rock Island Line" and "I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'" to Horton's demos. Other such sessions were held throughout the sixties for album release. "Sleepy-Eyed John" scored the country charts during April 1961, scoring No. 9 and a year later "Honky Tonk Man" was reissued, scoring No. 11. During February 1963 he made his last appearance in the charts (to date) with "All Grown Up" maximizing at No. 26.
An unfounded rumor was that Horton was on his way to Dallas to meet actor Ward Bond
on the night of the crash about a role on the NBC
-TV series Wagon Train
. Bond was attending a football
game in Dallas and died of a heart attack several hours after Horton died. Horton, however, was on his way from Austin to Shreveport, Louisiana, not Dallas. An unrelated actor with the last name Horton did appear on Wagon Train—actor Robert Horton
.
Horton is buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Haughton
, east of Bossier City
in northwestern Louisiana.
" to Horton on his album Personal File
: "Johnny Horton was a good old friend of mine."
Horton was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
and posthumously inducted into the Delta Music Museum
Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana
.
Some racist songs have sometimes been incorrectly associated with Horton. These songs are by a singer calling himself "Johnny Rebel
," who did not began recording until years after Horton's death. The mistake is apparently because Horton recorded the historical song "Johnny Reb."
As per a box set of his work, here is a complete singles discography.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s. With them, he had several major successes, most notably during 1959 with the song "The Battle of New Orleans" (written by Jimmy Driftwood
Jimmy Driftwood
James Corbitt Morris , known professionally as Jimmy Driftwood or Jimmie Driftwood, was a prolific American folk music songwriter and musician, most famous for his songs "The Battle of New Orleans" and "Tennessee Stud"...
) which was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording was awarded from 1959 to 1968. From 1959 to 1961 the award was presented as the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Performance...
. The song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award
Grammy Hall of Fame Award
The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"...
, and during 2001 ranked No. 333 of the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
's "Songs of the Century
Songs of the Century
The "Songs of the Century" list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America , the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. that aims to "promote a better understanding of America’s musical and cultural heritage" in American schools...
".
During 1960, Horton had two other successes with "North to Alaska
North to Alaska (song)
"North to Alaska" is a 1960 hit song by Johnny Horton which featured in the movie of the same name. Though Horton had sung several popular movie tie-in songs, this was the first one that was sung over the opening titles....
" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska
North to Alaska
North to Alaska is a 1960 comedic western movie directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne . It starred Wayne along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian and Capucine....
, and "Sink the Bismarck." Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
.
Early life
Horton was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, to John and Claudia Horton, the youngest of five siblings, and raised in Rusk
Rusk, Texas
Rusk is a city in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,085 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County.-Geography:Rusk is located at ....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. His family often traveled to California often as migrant fruit pickers. After graduation from Gallatin High School during 1944, he attended the Methodist-affiliated Lon Morris College
Lon Morris College
Lon Morris College is a private junior college located in Jacksonville, Texas, United States, and is the only school affiliated with the United Methodist Church that is owned by an individual conference and not the denomination as a whole...
(then named Lon Morris Junior College) in Jacksonville, Texas
Jacksonville, Texas
Jacksonville is located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,868 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville Combined Statistical...
, with a basketball scholarship. He later attended Seattle University and briefly attended Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, although he did not graduate from any of these institutions.
Horton soon went back to California where he found work in the mail room of Hollywood's Selznick Studio. It was here that he met his future wife, secretary Donna Cook.
Horton and older brother Frank briefly pursued the study of geology at Seattle during 1948 but both ended after a few weeks. He went to Florida, then back to California before Horton left for Alaska to look for gold. It was during this period that he began writing songs. He joined Frank in Seattle, went south to Los Angeles, then after Frank married, left for Texas. After much prompting from his sister Marie, he entered a talent contest at the Reo Palm Isle club in Longview, Texas
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
, sponsored by radio station KGRI in Henderson. Hosted by station radio announcer and future country music star Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
, Horton won first prize—an ashtray on a pedestal. Encouraged by the contest, he went back to California, bought some Western-style clothes and entered talent contests.
Horton came to the attention of entrepreneur Fabor Robison, whose first job as manager was to give him a job with Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree on KXLA-TV in Pasadena. During his early guest performances he worked with musicians such as Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
and Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...
. The station then gave him a regular half-hour Saturday night program billed as the Singing Fisherman, during which he sang and displayed his casting skills with a fishing rod. Around this time he also hosted the radio program Hacienda Party Time for KLAC-TV in Los Angeles.
A mixture of Horton's television performances and Robison's acquaintances earned him a couple of singles with the minor Cormac recording company. The first single coupled "Plaid And Calico" with "Done Rovin'" and the second "Coal Smoke, Valve Oil and Steam" with "Birds and Butterflies". The company then terminated and Robinson acquired the masters and started his own company named Abbott Records. By mid 1952, ten Horton singles had been issued but none were very successful. They were, for the most part, ordinary Western-style songs.
After marriage to Donna and a honeymoon in Palm Springs, he relocated back east to be near the Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...
where he was then scheduled to appear on a regular basis. Robison persuaded Mercury Records A&R man Walter Kilpatrick to hire Horton, who began with his songs "First Train Headin' South" b/w "(I Wished for an Angel) The Devil Sent Me You" (Mercury 6412), with good reviews by the trade newspapers.
Horton was married twice. His first marriage, to Donna Cook, ended with a divorce granted in Rusk. During September 1953, he married Billie Jean Jones
Billie Jean Jones
Billie Jean Jones was the second wife of country singer Hank Williams. She was introduced to Hank by her then boyfriend, Faron Young. They married in 1952 each having had a previous marriage that ended in divorce. After Williams' death from heart failure on New Year's Day 1953, she married country...
. Jones was the widow of country music singer Hank Williams, to whom she had been married for the two and one-half months prior to his death. With Billie Jean, Horton had two daughters, Yanina (Nina) and Melody. Billie Jean's daughter, Jerry, was also part of the family.
Louisiana Hayride
During September 1952, Horton acquired a full-time band, the Rowley Trio from Nederland, Texas. Featuring Jerry Rowley playing fiddle, his wife Evelyn playing piano and sister Vera (Dido) playing bass or guitar, they were working at KFDM in Beaumont following some gigs backing Lefty FrizzellLefty Frizzell
Lefty Frizzell , born William Orville Frizzell, was an American country music singer and songwriter of the 1950s, and a proponent of honky tonk music. His relaxed style of singing was an influence on later stars Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, George Jones and John Fogerty...
. While playing in Beaumont, Horton and Robison heard the Trio and were sufficiently impressed to offer them a job touring. They started driving Johnny to their engagements, but he kept stopping to fish and hunt, so they soon bought him his own car with which he met them at the various venues. The new foursome recruited Bob Stegall but still termed themselves The Singing Fisherman and the Rowley Trio, before changing the name to Johnny Horton and the Roadrunners.
Louisiana Hayride had been playing for more than four years when Horton joined its cast, and during this time he helped many careers including those of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce
Webb Pierce
Webb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "In The Jailhouse Now," which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one...
and Bob Luman
Bob Luman
Bob Luman was an American country and rockabilly singer.-Early life and career:...
.
Horton was, by now, a Shreveport resident. His marriage didn't survive the increasing touring and Donna relocated back to Los Angeles. He was amenable to a reconciliation, but was unwilling to go back to the West Coast. During August, Louisiana Hayride welcomed back Hank Williams, only 28 years old but banished from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry for what some considered as his drunkenness and unreliability. On October 19, Williams married Billy Jean Jones, the daughter of a local policeman, in front of a paying audience at New Orleans' Municipal Auditorium. On one occasion during the time Billie Jean and Hank were married, Horton talked to the couple backstage, and at that meeting, Hank predicted that Billie Jean would one day marry Horton. He remained a Hayride member until his death.
By New Year's Eve, Hank Williams was dead. He had died in the back seat of a Cadillac traveling to a show in Canton, Ohio. Horton and the Rowleys were driving home from a gig when they heard the news by radio. They were in Milano, Texas and it was there after a show at Austin's Skyline Club (the same venue as Williams' last show) that Horton was killed seven years later in a car accident.
Married to Billie Jean
Johnny and Billie Jean married on 26 September 1953. They lived by Johnny's gig money, his newly established writers-contract with American Music of Los Angeles and the settlement Billie Jean had eked from the Williams estate. Horton and Robison had by now parted company, after a disagreement which concerned in part Horton's frustration at the amount of time Robison was spending with Jim Reeves. Stegall had left, to be replaced by Richard and Betty Lou Spears, but soon the Rowleys left. He starting using pick-up bands together with Billie Jean's brothers, Alton and Sonny Jones. The career had stalled and he became so disillusioned that he got a job working in a fishing tackle shop, playing only weekends for Hayride. Even this ceased during November 1954. His last session for Mercury September 23 didn't generate a single album and the two year hiatus had been a strange period with songs ranging from answer songs like "Back to My Back Street" to "Train With a Rhumba Beat". The best seller was "All for the Love of a Girl" (Mercury 70227) which sold about 35-45,000 copies.It was during this time that country music was changing due to influence by the new rock music. With the example of Elvis Presley, rockabilly was becoming more common both on records and on country music bills, with Hayride one of the most progressive in this respect. It was during that program that Horton first saw Presley, and apparently he immediately liked the singer and the style.
Horton then asked Hayride stalwart Tillman Franks
Tillman Franks
Tillman Ben Franks was an American bassist and songwriter who was also the manager for a number of country music artists including Johnny Horton, David Houston, Webb Pierce, Claude King and the Carlisles.-Biography:...
for some advice. Five years older than Horton, Franks had played bass for Webb Pierce
Webb Pierce
Webb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "In The Jailhouse Now," which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one...
, managed the Carlisles and Jimmy & Johnny
Jimmy & Johnny
Jimmy & Johnny were an American country music duo composed of Jimmy Lee Fautheree and Johnny "Country" Mathis. They scored several hits on the U.S. country charts in the 1950s....
, worked as a booking agent,
a car salesman in Houston and served on the police force. He too was unemployed. "I hadn't worked in four or five weeks when Johnny Horton come to the door. He was broke too. He and Billie Jean had spent the money they got after Hank died, and she'd told him to get his ass out and make some more. He said "If I can get Tillman Franks to manage me, I'll get to number one". He came to my house on Summer Street, and I told him that I just didn't like the way he sang. He said, "No problem. I'll sing any way you want me to". And he was serious!".
They'd already met in Mississippi, when Horton had toured with the Carlisles. By mid 1955 Franks had assumed control of the management, and after the end of the Mercury contract, his first job was to find a new company. After communicating with Webb Pierce, who in turn talked to Jim Denny at Cedarwood and Troy Martin at Golden West Melodies, a one-year contract with Columbia was forthcoming. Cedarwood and Golden West Melodies would both get publishing on two songs per session as part of the deal. With no advance and a session due in Nashville, the duo had to borrow David Houston
David Houston (singer)
Charles David Houston was an American country music singer. His peak in popularity came between the mid-1960s through the early 1970s.-Biography:...
's father's car for the journey, with the promise that they'd try to get Houston a contract while they were there.
First big hit
On the way to the session, Horton and Franks stopped in Memphis at Elvis Presley's house, leaving with ten dollars (they were too poor to buy gas) and the loan of Bill Black on slap bass. Franks had reservations about his own playing and he wanted the sound to be special. On January 11, 1956, Horton entered the Bradley Barn Studio with Bill Black and two of Nashville's major talent agents, Grady MartinGrady Martin
Thomas Grady Martin was one of the most renowned, inventive and historically significant American session musicians in country music and rockabilly....
and producer Owen Bradley's brother, Harold. The first song played was the mid-tempo rockabilly "I'm a One Woman Man", composed by Horton and Franks. Howard Crockett (Hausey) had played "Honky Tonk Man" to Horton and Franks and after a quick rewriting of the tune, they split the credits three ways. It was the second song cut that day. By midnight, Don Law and Franks had completed two more songs, "I'm Ready if You're Willing" and "I Got a Hole in My Pirogue". Horton and Franks wanted "Honky Tonk Man" to be the lead-off single but Don Law didn't like the song, and it was only after the intervention of Jim Denny that Law relented and issued it with "I'm Ready if You're Willing" on the flip side. Live shows were arranged to advertise the single with the band featuring Franks playing bass and a teenager from Minden, Louisiana, Tommy Tomlinson, playing guitar.
The single was reviewed by the March 10 issue of Billboard, which said of "Honky Tonk Man", "The wine women and song attractions exert a powerful hold on the singer, he admits. The funky sound and pounding beat in the backing suggest the kind of atmosphere he describes. A very good jukebox record." Of the B-side, it read "Horton sings out this cheerful material with amiable personality. This ever more popular stylist ought to expand his circle of fans with this one." By May the record had scored No. 9 on the C&W Jockey chart, as well as No. 14 on the Best Seller chart.
To earn extra money, Horton established a fake ticket agency whereby he telephoned the citizens of Alexandria, Louisiana selling tickets by the name Earl Baker, with Billie Jean delivering them the next day. Franks thought that Billie Jean was keeping some of the money, but discovered he was wrong.
Franks assumed control of the Hayride bookings, organizing performances in the South. Horton was contracted for his Monday night performances on KLTV-TV in Tyler, Texas, which restricted how far away he could tour. He wanted to end the contract, so on one of the shows, when it was time to read a commercial for Hol-Sum Bread, he announced "Friends, we are proud to be here, and proud to be sponsored by Hol-Sum Bread. Tillman Franks my manager eats Hol-Sum Bread, and I eat it too. What I like about Hol-Sum Bread is that it's never touched by hand. That's right, they mix it with their feet". After the show, the station owner called him and said she'd be happier if he stopped working for the station. Now he was free to travel, and he started earning as much as $500 a night.
On May 23 they went back to Music City for a second session. Grady Martin again led the proceedings with Ray Edenton replacing Harold Bradley and Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance standing in on double bass. They began at 7 p.m. with "Take Me Like I Am" before doing the Horton-Hausey composition, "Sugar-Coated Baby". It was one of those mid-tempo tracks at which Horton was to excel, with playful vocals and Martin's bass string guitaring. Claude King
Claude King
Claude King is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for his million selling 1962 hit, "Wolverton Mountain".-Biography:...
's "I Don't Like I Did" was another such song. The fourth cut was Autry Inman's ode to women, "Hooray For That Little Difference".
The next single (Columbia 21538) had "I Don't Like I Did" on the B-side but the header was "I'm a One Woman Man" from the January session. Billboard enthused that "One Woman" was a "Smart and polished job," adding that Horton was "singing with a light, airy touch. Guitar work is just as convincing, adding up to listenable, commercial stuff".
By August, Columbia and Franks ran an advertisement in Billboard claiming their "Sensational New Artist goes on a spree with his newest two-sided hit". The accompanying photo did nothing for the image of a rocker, showing him looking middle-aged with a cowboy hat to hide his receding hair. The campaign continued with a tour of western Texas starting in El Paso with Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Faron Young
Faron Young
Faron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most successful and colorful stars...
and Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
. Booked by Bob Neal Stars Inc. of Memphis, the group moved to Ontario, Canada for six dates commencing on the 18th, culminating in Detroit.
Billboard's first issue in September noted that "Somewhat like his last hit - "Honky Tonk Man" - this release (I'm A One Woman Man) started off rather quietly, but has gradually become a powerful chart contender. This week it made an appearance on the Houston territorial chart and was selling well in Nashville, Dallas, Durham and Birmingham". Within a week or so he was rewarded with a second country hit, this time maximizing at No. 7 on the Jockey chart and No. 9 on both the Best Seller and Jukebox charts.
On October 14, after shows throughout Florida, Horton played in Memphis again for Bob Neal, this time with Johnny Cash, Faron Young, Sonny James
Sonny James
James Loden , known professionally as Sonny James, is an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, "Young Love". Dubbed the Southern Gentleman, James had 72 country and pop chart hits from 1953 to 1983, including a five-year streak of 16 straight among his 23 No. 1...
, Roy Orbison and the Teen-Kings and Charlene Arthur. They continued around Tennessee until the 23rd, before continuing to New Mexico and West Texas. It must have been a confident crowd that arrived at Bradley's Barn on November 12. Only two songs were produced, the unissued "Over Loving You" and the rockabilly "I'm Coming Home", composed by Horton and Franks.
"I'm Coming Home" was released with "I Got A Hole In My Pirogue" on the flip side (Columbia 40813). Released as the same time as the Johnny Burnette Trio's "Lonesome Train" (Coral 61758) and Rosco Gordon's "Cheese and Crackers" (Sun 257), Billboard predicted that "the singer, has material in I'm Coming Home that could give him his biggest record to date". Horton's vocal against this twangy backing makes a terrific impression. "Pirogue" is a rockabilly type novelty song of great appeal. It's hard to see how this can miss becoming a gold mine". On February 9, Billboard noted that "not only Southern markets are doing good business with this, but Northern cities report that both country and pop customers are going for this in a big way". It was again a success on the country charts (No. 11 Jockey, No. 15 Best Seller) but it failed to score the popular music charts.
He loved fishing as much as, if not more than, singing and was once billed as The Singing Fisherman. His favorite fishing holes were in the Piney Woods of East Texas and in northern Louisiana. His other passion was spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
and he was devoted to the writings of spiritualist Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce was an American psychic who allegedly had the ability to give answers to questions on subjects such as healing or Atlantis while in a hypnotic trance...
.
Premonitions of death
Horton had premonitions of his death and started telling friends and family that he would soon die at the hands of a drunk. He asked his sister to pray and care for Billie Jean and their daughters, and had his mother visit for the week. He cancelled his scheduled attendance at the premiere of North To Alaska and tried to back out of his next gig, a nightclub date at the Skyline club in AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
on November 4, 1960.
Death
Tommy Tomlinson flew in from Nashville, where he was producing a duet album with Jerry Kennedy (Tom and Jerry). Johnny used the morning to make arrangements to go duck hunting with Claude King once he'd returned from Austin and he also telephoned Johnny Cash for a chat. Cash didn't accept the call, and always regretted it. Against his wife's wishes, Franks got out of his sick bed and they began traveling to Austin.When they got to the Skyline club, Horton stayed in his dressing room, saying that a drunk would kill him if went near the bar. After the show, they started the 220-mile (350 km) journey back to Shreveport. Tomlinson was in the back, observing that Horton was driving too fast - Franks was asleep in the front. About 2 a.m., near Milano, Texas they were crossing a bridge when a truck came at them, hitting both sides of the bridge before plunging into Horton's Cadillac. Horton had practiced avoiding head-on collisions by driving into ditches, but on the narrow bridge he had no opportunity. He was still breathing when he was pulled out of the car but died on the way to the hospital. The 19-year-old truck driver, James Davis, was intoxicated. Franks suffered head injuries and young Tomlinson had multiple leg fractures and nine months later, had his left leg amputated. Davis was virtually unscathed.
Tillman's preacher brother, Billy, performed the funeral service on November 8, with Billie Jean becoming a widow for the second time at the age of 28. Johnny Cash read Chapter 20 from the Book of John, having flown in on a chartered airplane.
Columbia released various singles and a greatest successes album and on October 5, 1964, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three overdubbed "Rock Island Line" and "I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'" to Horton's demos. Other such sessions were held throughout the sixties for album release. "Sleepy-Eyed John" scored the country charts during April 1961, scoring No. 9 and a year later "Honky Tonk Man" was reissued, scoring No. 11. During February 1963 he made his last appearance in the charts (to date) with "All Grown Up" maximizing at No. 26.
An unfounded rumor was that Horton was on his way to Dallas to meet actor Ward Bond
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...
on the night of the crash about a role on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-TV series Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
. Bond was attending a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game in Dallas and died of a heart attack several hours after Horton died. Horton, however, was on his way from Austin to Shreveport, Louisiana, not Dallas. An unrelated actor with the last name Horton did appear on Wagon Train—actor Robert Horton
Robert Horton (actor)
Robert Horton is an American television actor, who was most noted for the role of the frontier scout Flint McCullough in the NBC Western television series, Wagon Train...
.
Horton is buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Haughton
Haughton, Louisiana
Haughton is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,792 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Haughton is located at ....
, east of Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
in northwestern Louisiana.
Legacy
Horton will be remembered for his major contribution to both country and rockabilly music. When Johnny Cash, a good friend of Horton's, learned about the accident he said, "[I] locked myself in one of the hotel's barrooms, and cried." Cash also dedicated his rendition of "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)
"When It's Springtime in Alaska " is a 1959 single by Johnny Horton. The single was Johnny Horton's sixth release on the country chart and the first of three number ones on the country chart . The single spent twenty-three weeks on the chart....
" to Horton on his album Personal File
Personal File
Personal File is an album by the late American music icon Johnny Cash. The two CD set was released on May 23, 2006 on the Legacy label. Personal File contains 49 unreleased tracks on 2 CDs recorded between 1973 and 1982...
: "Johnny Horton was a good old friend of mine."
Horton was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame is an IRS certified 501 non-profit organization based in the state capitol of Baton Rouge, La., that seeks to preserve Louisiana's rich music culture and heritage and to further educate its citizens and people worldwide about the state’s unique role contributing...
and posthumously inducted into the Delta Music Museum
Delta Music Museum
The Delta Music Museum is a museum located in Ferriday, Louisiana. It offers exhibits on sixteen rock and roll and blues musicians from the Mississippi River delta country. The museum opened with a grant from the State of Louisiana and is operated by local volunteers. There is no admission charge;...
Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
.
Some racist songs have sometimes been incorrectly associated with Horton. These songs are by a singer calling himself "Johnny Rebel
Johnny Rebel (singer)
Johnny Rebel is the pseudonym of Cajun country musician Clifford Joseph Trahan , also known as Pee Wee Trahan. Trahan has used this pseudonym most notably on racist recordings issued in the 1960s on J. D. "Jay" Miller's Reb Rebel label of Crowley, Louisiana...
," who did not began recording until years after Horton's death. The mistake is apparently because Horton recorded the historical song "Johnny Reb."
Albums
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | RIAA | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
||||
| 1959 | The Spectacular Johnny Horton | Columbia | |||
| 1960 | Johnny Horton Makes History | ||||
| 1961 | Greatest Hits | 8 | Platinum | ||
| 1962 | Honky Tonk Man | 104 | |||
| 1965 | I Can't Forget You | ||||
| 1967 | Johnny Horton On Stage | 37 | |||
| 1968 | The Unforgettable Johnny Horton | ||||
| 1970 | On the Road | ||||
| The Legendary Johnny Horton | |||||
| 1971 | The Battle of New Orleans | ||||
| The World |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1956 | "Honky Tonk Man Honky Tonk Man (song) "Honky Tonk Man" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Horton. It was released in March 1956 as his debut single, reaching #9 on the U.S. country singles charts... " |
9 | singles only | |
| "I'm a One-Woman Man I'm a One-Woman Man "I'm a One-Woman Man" is a song co-written by American country music artist Johnny Horton and Tillman Franks. It was originally released as a single by Horton in 1956, whose version peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.... " |
7 | |||
| 1957 | "I'm Coming Home" | 11 | ||
| "The Woman I Need" | 9 | |||
| 1958 | "All Grown Up" | 8 | ||
| 1959 | "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below) When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below) "When It's Springtime in Alaska " is a 1959 single by Johnny Horton. The single was Johnny Horton's sixth release on the country chart and the first of three number ones on the country chart . The single spent twenty-three weeks on the chart.... " |
1 | The Spectacular Johnny Horton | |
| "The Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans "The Battle of New Orleans" is the title of a song written by Jimmy Driftwood. The song describes the 1815 Battle of New Orleans from the perspective of an American soldier; the lyrics are evidently intended to be comical. It has been recorded by many artists, but the singer most often associated... " |
1 | 1 | ||
| "Johnny Reb" | 10 | 54 | Johnny Horton Makes History | |
| "Sal's Got a Sugar Lip" | 19 | 81 | single only | |
| 1960 | "Sink the Bismarck" | 3 | 6 | Johnny Horton Makes History |
| "Johnny Freedom" | 69 | |||
| "North to Alaska North to Alaska (song) "North to Alaska" is a 1960 hit song by Johnny Horton which featured in the movie of the same name. Though Horton had sung several popular movie tie-in songs, this was the first one that was sung over the opening titles.... " |
1 | 4 | Greatest Hits | |
| 1961 | "Sleepy-Eyed John" | 9 | 54 | Honky Tonk Man |
| 1962 | "Honky Tonk Man" (re-release) | 11 | 96 | |
| 1963 | "All Grown Up" (re-release) | 26 | single only |
As per a box set of his work, here is a complete singles discography.
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 01 - I'm A One Woman Man
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 02 - Honky Tonk Man
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 03 - I'm Ready If You're Willing
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 04 - I Got A Hole In My Pirogue
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 05 - Take Me Like I Am
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 06 - Sugar-Coated Baby
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 07 - I Don't Like I Did
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 08 - Hooray For That Little Difference
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 09 - I'm Coming Home
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 10 - Over-Loving You
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 11 - She Knows Why
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 12 - Honky Tonk Mind (The Woman I Need)
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 13 - Tell My Baby I Love Her
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 14 - Goodbye Lonesome, Hello Baby Doll
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 15 - I'll Do It Everytime
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 16 - You're My Baby
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 17 - Let's Take The Long Way Home
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 18 - Lover's Rock
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 19 - Honky-Tonk Hardwood Floor
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 20 - The Wild One
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 21 - Everytime I'm Kissng You
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 22 - Hot In The Sugarcane Field
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 23 - Lonesome And Heartbroken
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 24 - Seven Come Eleven
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 25 - I Can't Forget You
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 26 - Wise To The Ways Of A Woman
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 27 - Out In New Mexico
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 28 - Tetched In The Head
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 29 - Just Walk A Little Closer
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 30 - Don't Use My Heart For A Stepping Stone
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 31 - I Love You Baby
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 32 - Wise To The Ways Of A Woman
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 01 - Counterfeit Love
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 02 - Mister Moonlight
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 03 - All Grown Up
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 04 - Got The Bull By The Horns
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 05 - When It's Springtime In Alaska
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 06 - Whispering Pines
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 07 - The Battle Of New Orleans
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 08 - All For The Love Of A Girl
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 09 - Lost Highway
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 10 - Sam Magee
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 11 - Cherokee Boogie
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 12 - The Golden Rocket
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 13 - The Battle Of New Orleans (British Version)
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 14 - Joe's Been A-Gittin' There
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 15 - The First Train Headin' South
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 16 - Got The Bull By The Horns
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 17 - Sal's Got A Sugerlip
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 18 - Words
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 19 - Johnny Reb
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 20 - Sal's Got A Sugarlip
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 21 - Ole Slew Foot
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 22 - I'm Ready If Your Willing
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 23 - Take Me Like I Am
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 24 - They Shined Up Rudolph's Nose
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 25 - The Electrified Donkey
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 26 - The Same Old Tale The Crow Told Me
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 27 - Sink The Bismarck
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 28 - Sink The Bismarck
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 29 - The Same Old Tale The Crow Told Me
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 30 - All Grown Up
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 31 - Got The Bull By The Horns
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 01 - Ole Slew Foot
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 02 - Miss Marcy
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 03 - Sleepy Eyed John
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 04 - The Mansion You Stole
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 05 - They'll Never Take Her Love From Me
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 06 - The Sinking Of Reuben James
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 07 - Jim Bridger
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 08 - The Battle Of Bull Run
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 09 - Snow-Shoe Thompson
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 10 - John Paul Jones
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 11 - Comanche (The Brave Horse)
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 12 - Young Abe Lincoln
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 13 - O'Leary's Cow
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 14 - Johnny Freedom
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 15 - Go North!
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 16 - North To Alaska
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 17 - North To Alaska
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 18 - I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Livin'
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 19 - Rock Island Line
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 20 - Hank And Joe And Me
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 21 - The Golden Rocket
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 22 - A-Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 23 - I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Livin'
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 24 - Old Blind Barnabas
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 25 - Evil Hearted Me
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 26 - Hot In The Sugarcane Field
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 27 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 28 - The Gosh-Darn Wheel
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 29 - Broken Hearted Gypsy
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 30 - The Church By The Side Of The Road
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 01 - The Vanishing Race
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 02 - Broken Hearted Gypsy
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 03 - That Boy Got The Habit
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 04 - Hot In The Sugarcane Field
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 05 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 06 - The Church By The Side Of The Road
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 07 - I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Livin'
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 08 - Take It Like A Man
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 09 - Hank And Joe And Me
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 10 - The Golden Rocket
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 11 - Old Blind Barnabas
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 12 - Empty Bed Blues
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 13 - Rock Island Line
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 14 - Shake, Rattle And Roll
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 15 - A-Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 16 - Old Dan Tucker
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 17 - The Gosh Darn Wheel
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 18 - From Memphis To Mobile
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 19 - Back Up Train
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 20 - Schottische In Texas
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 21 - Take It LIke A Man
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 22 - That Boy Got The Habit
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 23 - My Heart Stopped, Trembled And Died
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 24 - Alley Girl Ways
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 25 - How You Gonna Make It
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 26 - Witch Walking Baby
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 27 - Down That River Road
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 28 - Big Wheels Rollin'
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 29 - I Got A Slow Leak In My Heart
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 30 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 31 - What Will I Do Without You
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 32 - Janey
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 33 - Streets Of Dodge
- Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 34 - Give Me Back My Picture And You Can Keep The Frame