Merle Kilgore
Encyclopedia
Wyatt Merle Kilgore was an American
singer, songwriter
, and manager
.
, Merle Kilgore was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana
. He was the son of Wyatt and Gladys B. (Clowers) Kilgore. As a boy of 14 he carried the guitar for Hank Williams at the Louisiana Hayride
beginning a close relationship with the Williams family that would last three generations.
recording artist but had great success as a songwriter, co-writing with June Carter Cash
the song Ring of Fire
, first recorded by her sister Anita Carter
and later by June's future husband, Johnny Cash
(Kilgore was a distant cousin of the Carter sisters through their maternal grandmother, Margaret Kilgore Addington). He also wrote Claude King
's big crossover
hit, Wolverton Mountain
. Amongst others, he also penned "Johnny Reb" for Johnny Horton
and the Tommy Roe
pop music
hit, The Folk Singer. In the early 1960s, he toured with Cash as part of his package show.
, since 1986, he was also a prominent member of the business community. On April 7, 1986, he was named Executive Vice President and head of management of Hank Williams Jr. Enterprises. In addition to managing Hank Williams Jr's career (along with that of Hank Jr’s Bama Band
), Merle managed a number of other artists from his Nashville, In office. Merle also had a number of successful business ventures and held numerous leadership positions. Merle’s prominence in the country music community had grown in recent years through his involvement as Vice President of the Country Music Association
and he had served on the CMA Board of Directors since 1989. Also contributing to his success was his position as President of both the Nashville Songwriter’s Foundation as well as the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International. In 1987, he was named an honorary State Senator for Tennessee. In 1993, Merle was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in Lafayette, Louisiana
, and was also inducted into Shreveport’s Byrd High School
Hall of Fame. In 1998, Merle received the Legendary Songwriters' Award from the North American County Music Association. Most recently, he hosted and performed at NSAI's Tin Pan South Legendary Songwriter's Acoustic Concert and was presented a prestigious award honoring him as "one of the world’s outstanding songwriters." Merle had also served two terms as President of ROPE, International (Reunion of Professional Entertainers, Int.).
Merle was a long-time member of the Academy of Country Music
and an active member of the Screen Actors Guild
. As well as belonging to the NSAI and the American Federation of Musicians, Merle served as a board member for several organizations including the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery, Alabama
, the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
and the Tex Ritter
Museum, both in Carthage, Texas
. He also directed the operations of two offices, Hank Williams Jr. Enterprises in Paris, Tennessee and Merle Kilgore Management in Nashville
, where he managed several other artists, Joe Sins being his most prominent. In 1998, Kilgore was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
.
while receiving treatment for lung cancer
, and was interred in Hendersonville Memory Gardens
in Hendersonville, Tennessee
. His mother, Gladys, had died just two years before on December 22, 2003 in Conway, Arkansas at the age of 94.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
.
Early life
Although born in Chickasha, OklahomaChickasha, Oklahoma
Chickasha is a city in and the county seat, business and employment center of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,850 at the 2000 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and hosts an annual Festival of Light celebration located at...
, Merle Kilgore was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. He was the son of Wyatt and Gladys B. (Clowers) Kilgore. As a boy of 14 he carried the guitar for Hank Williams at 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...
beginning a close relationship with the Williams family that would last three generations.
Career
Kilgore went on to a career as a country musicCountry 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...
recording artist but had great success as a songwriter, co-writing with June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
the song Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (song)
"Ring of Fire" or "The Ring of Fire" is a country music song popularized by Johnny Cash and co-written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. The single appears on Cash's 1963 compilation album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash...
, first recorded by her sister Anita Carter
Anita Carter
Ina Anita Carter , the youngest daughter of Ezra and Mother Maybelle Carter, was a versatile American singer who experimented with several different types of music and played stand-up bass with her sisters Helen Carter and June Carter Cash as The Carter Sisters...
and later by June's future husband, 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...
(Kilgore was a distant cousin of the Carter sisters through their maternal grandmother, Margaret Kilgore Addington). He also wrote 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 big crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
hit, Wolverton Mountain
Wolverton Mountain
"Wolverton Mountain" was a hit that launched Claude King's career in the US in 1962. The song was written together with Merle Kilgore and was based on a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on Wolverton Mountain in Arkansas. The song spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart...
. Amongst others, he also penned "Johnny Reb" for Johnny Horton
Johnny Horton
John Gale "Johnny" Horton 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...
and the Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe is an American pop music singer-songwriter.Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" and "Dizzy" , critic Bill Dahl wrote that Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late 1960s, but Roe cut some pretty decent rockers along the way, especially early in his...
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
hit, The Folk Singer. In the early 1960s, he toured with Cash as part of his package show.
Business and music interests
A resident of Paris, TennesseeParis, Tennessee
Paris is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, United States, west of Nashville, on a fork of the West Sandy River. In 1900, 2,018 people lived in Paris, Tennessee; in 1910, 3,881; and in 1940, 6,395. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,763. It is the county seat of Henry...
, since 1986, he was also a prominent member of the business community. On April 7, 1986, he was named Executive Vice President and head of management of Hank Williams Jr. Enterprises. In addition to managing Hank Williams Jr's career (along with that of Hank Jr’s Bama Band
The Bama Band
The Bama Band is an American country music group composed of Lamar Morris , Wayne "Animal" Turner , Clifford E. "Cowboy" Eddie Long , Jerry McKinney , Vernon Derrick , Ray Barrickman , Billy Earheart and William Claude Marshall...
), Merle managed a number of other artists from his Nashville, In office. Merle also had a number of successful business ventures and held numerous leadership positions. Merle’s prominence in the country music community had grown in recent years through his involvement as Vice President of the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
and he had served on the CMA Board of Directors since 1989. Also contributing to his success was his position as President of both the Nashville Songwriter’s Foundation as well as the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International. In 1987, he was named an honorary State Senator for Tennessee. In 1993, Merle was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, and was also inducted into Shreveport’s Byrd High School
C. E. Byrd High School
C. E. Byrd High School is a science and mathematics magnet and a Blue Ribbon School. In continuous operation since 1925, Byrd is the largest high school in Shreveport, Louisiana and has the largest alumni association of any U.S. high school....
Hall of Fame. In 1998, Merle received the Legendary Songwriters' Award from the North American County Music Association. Most recently, he hosted and performed at NSAI's Tin Pan South Legendary Songwriter's Acoustic Concert and was presented a prestigious award honoring him as "one of the world’s outstanding songwriters." Merle had also served two terms as President of ROPE, International (Reunion of Professional Entertainers, Int.).
Merle was a long-time member of the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
and an active member of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
. As well as belonging to the NSAI and the American Federation of Musicians, Merle served as a board member for several organizations including the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame/Tex Ritter Museum, located in Carthage in Panola County in East Texas honors those who have made outstanding contributions to country music and were born in the state of Texas. This includes singers, songwriters, disc jockeys and others.A museum, a large...
and the Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
Museum, both in Carthage, Texas
Carthage, Texas
Carthage is a city in Panola County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Panola County, and is situated in East Texas near the Louisiana state line.-Geography:...
. He also directed the operations of two offices, Hank Williams Jr. Enterprises in Paris, Tennessee and Merle Kilgore Management in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where he managed several other artists, Joe Sins being his most prominent. In 1998, Kilgore was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with music community in the city of...
.
Death
In 2005, Merle Kilgore died from congestive heart failureCongestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
while receiving treatment for lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, and was interred in Hendersonville Memory Gardens
Hendersonville Memory Gardens
Hendersonville Memory Gardens located at 353 East Main Street in Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA was formerly known as Woodlawn Memorial Park East...
in Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Hendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 51,372 at the 2010 census. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by...
. His mother, Gladys, had died just two years before on December 22, 2003 in Conway, Arkansas at the age of 94.
Singles
| Year | Single | 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... |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | "Dear Mama" | 12 |
| "Love Has Made You Beautiful" | 10 | |
| "Getting Old Before My Time" | 29 | |
| 1967 | "Fast Talking Louisiana Man" | 71 |
| 1974 | "Montgomery Mable" | 95 |
| 1982 | "Mister Garfield" | 54 |
| 1984 | "Just Out of Reach" | 74 |
| 1985 | "Guilty" | 92 |
External links
- Official Website
- Nashville Songwriters Foundation
- [ Allmusic]